DragonBall Eternal Universes: The Garrick Saga
by HannibalFrost
Summary: After Hidden Saga, the Earth is left with a new savior... Vegeta! Changed my life! Ebert and Roper. Edge of your seat action! Associated Press.
1. A Whole New World

----Cool DBZ Introductory Monologue----

_One year ago a dreadful fight took place with Majin Laurel; the fight that managed to end the life of Goten, run off Trunks, and leave Goku missing in action. Now, with the help of the Namekian Dragon Balls, Bulma has been wished back to Earth, Goten has been wished back to life, and the city has been restored. Time has managed to heal the wounds of the Z warriors, but has also managed to create new ones._

----End Cool DBZ Introductory Monologue----

Bulma sat at the window cradling what had to have been created back on Namek; a decision she would only regret if Vegeta were to ever find out. Bulma glanced away from the sunset and down at baby Alexia. It had been Vegeta's idea to name the baby… which added to Bulma's guilt. Vegeta thought the name would be fitting as he was adamant that she would protect the galaxy when he was too old.

Bulma slowly rocked her back and forth even though she had been asleep for quite some time. Bulma glanced back out the window once more, her thoughts beginning to creep in and out of her mind.

That night on New Namek had been romantic, genuine; both their feelings for each other real, despite the obvious mind control side effects. Her eyes suddenly began to water at the thought of Goku; he had given her a child and possibly wouldn't be returning to father it. Of course, he wouldn't be fathering it anyway, but at least he could still be there.

Bulma glanced down at Alexia, admiring her beauty. Bulma was glad the baby was a girl; she had always wanted one and now, at least, Alexia would grow up to be her likeness. Bulma didn't even want to think about what Vegeta would do if he were to find out.

Bulma then remembered back to when Vegeta had started questioning her about it. He wanted to know why she was on New Namek for so long, why was Goku there with her, blah, blah, blah. Almost all day, every day, he'd be pestering her about it.

Luckily, she was able to calm him down enough and get him in bed… more than usual, actually. That definitely calmed him down and when she got pregnant, he was ecstatic. Of course, in old Vegeta fashion, he never let anyone know, but Bulma could tell… and it only made her feel worse.

Bulma stood up from her chair and placed Alexia in her crib. She smiles, kissed her on the forehead, and slowly left the room. Vegeta was automatically at her side, his skeptic gaze burning a hole in her.

"Are you sure Alexia will be fine?" Vegeta asked, sincerely nervous.

"Don't even go there, Vegeta," Bulma retorted.

"Don't give me orders, woman! All I did was ask a simple question!" Vegeta yelled.

Bulma cupped her hand over Vegeta's mouth and gave him a nasty look, "If you wake her up you're spending the next few hours with her."

"It will not be done, woman. I must spend my time in the gravity room. During the fight a long time ago Laurel said that her master was coming. I must be stronger for his arrival," Vegeta explained, his face turning red.

Bulma rolled her eyes, "Vegeta that was a year ago. So don't think you can use that as an excuse not to take care of your daughter, bucko."

Vegeta sneered, "Woman, I will do as I damn well please. Just be thankful that I listen to you as much as I do."

Bulma smiled, knowing that it was an apology. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Woman, what are you- Vegeta was suddenly cut off as Bulma pressed her lips firmly against his. She waited and slowly but surely Vegeta began to return the kiss.

Bulma couldn't help but indulge for as long as Vegeta would let her; he was truly the man she loved. Finally, Vegeta broke away, but kept his eyes locked with hers. Bulma could almost see a smile on his face, almost.

Finally, Vegeta back up and replaced his warm facial expression with a cold blank one. "That shall be all for you, tonight. I have training to do," Vegeta said as he shuffled past Bulma with the demeanor of a true Saiyan Prince.

Bulma smiled and glanced back at Vegeta, "I love you too." Vegeta turned his and nodded; his only sign of acknowledgement whenever she mentioned the word. Bulma then walked down the hallway opposite Vegeta and decided she needed to go ahead and make him dinner before his training was done.

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Goten sat back on the bench outside the ice cream parlor with Laurel. It was now the normal date for Thursday nights: a trip to the movies, a walk down to the ice cream parlor, and then a walk back home. Laurel had lived with him and his family ever since she was taken over by the Majin force. It had taken his mom some getting used to, but with Gohan and Videl living their now, she warmed up to the idea pretty quick.

Goten licked his ate another spoonful of his ice cream and glanced over at Laurel. "So, the ice cream good?" Goten asked with a smile.

Laurel, though, didn't return the smile, "You ask me that every Thursday. Let's do something different this time."

Goten raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"

Laurel smiled at him, "Follow me." Laurel then jumped from her seat, dropped her ice cream, and ran to the alley beside the ice cream parlor.

Goten jumped up, dropping his own ice cream in the process, and quickly followed her. Suddenly, a burst of white lit up in the alley and struck off into the night sky. Goten smiled and shot off after her; the same white aura around him.

"You think you can keep up?" Laurel said, flying backwards in front of him.

"You're not a super human anymore, baby," Goten yelled and sped up until he was beside her.

Laurel blew him a kiss and then ascended even higher into the air. Goten quickly followed her and soon they were both above the clouds. Goten gazed out at the wonderful night sky; the stars in clear view.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Laurel asked, hovering slowly with her back pointed towards the ground.

Goten moved in close to her and looked into her eyes, "Not as beautiful as you." Goten leaned in and pressed his lips against Laurels, the tingle of their passion still there, still pulsing through his body.

Laurel pulled away from the kiss and cupped his cheek, "I love you, Goten."

Goten placed his hand against hers, "I love you, too." They had said this to each other a lot now, but at this moment… Goten knew she meant it. Goten knew that he meant it, even when he was under her spell.

Goten cleared his head of the thought; it had been so long since then. Sure Laurel had killed him, but he knew she didn't want to… it was the Majin mind control. Goten glanced at Laurel; he glanced at the girl he was with now, the girl he loved, the girl he was going to propose to soon.

Goten remembered back to when he asked Gohan about it. Gohan said that he was way too young; seventeen wasn't the appropriate age. Of course, Laurel was eighteen, but still too young by Gohan's standards. Goten didn't care, though; he loved Laurel, and was determined to be with her forever.

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Piccolo sat at the one lonely tree adorning King Kai's small planet. He had been trying to meditate, but the memories kept flooding back to him. Through King Kai he was able to watch the outcome of the battle with Laurel on Earth. He was able to watch everyone's life slowly return to normal; everyone's life, but his own. Soon after the battle King Kai had grown ill; therefore, disabling his ability to communicate with anyone on Earth. No one knew he was dead, no one could have wished him back.

It had been a year since then and sometimes Piccolo was thankful that he had been able to stay here with King Kai. He had definitely grown much more powerful since then and he didn't have to worry with the troubles of Earth. Of course, he was always worried about his friends, but having some time off definitely helped sooth his mind.

Piccolo then went back to the thought of Trunks, and how Trunks killed him without so much as a second thought. Piccolo grimaced slightly, but calmed himself down. The Majin side effects of Laurel's mind control had driven everyone crazy. Piccolo only wondered if Trunks had recovered or if he was still gone somewhere.

Piccolo, upon hearing a grunt from King Kai, glanced back at his small house. His acute hearing easily picked up his tossing and turning in bed, but it soon subsided. King Kai whist being sick, bless the aging fellow, had put in a request to the elder Kai's that Piccolo become a guardian of HFIL. He had been here long enough; why not give him some sort of duties?

Piccolo sighed and got to his feet, knowing he wouldn't be able to meditate. He then glanced around for his weighted clothing and decided that the best way to pass the time was to at least train just a little bit more.

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Gohan stepped down the stairs heading away from his mother's bedroom; the stairs stayed silent, their usual creaks gone with the recreation of the house. Gohan rounded the corner and entered the living room where Videl was. She sat on the couch and stared intently at the television.

Gohan plopped down beside her and put his arm around her as his eyes fell to the television also. The news was on and it, like always, annoyed Gohan. It was never the truth with these people; just everyone's fabricated opinion tailored to the masses.

"Why are you watching this?" Gohan asked Videl, a hint of annoyance escaping with his words.

"They're talking about some meteors they found on the edge of Earth's atmosphere. They say it's some weird stuff," Videl explained.

Gohan rolled his eyes, "If it's anything we should be worried about then Dende will inform us."

Gohan then felt Videl's hand cup his cheek. Gohan looked into her beautiful eyes and smiled. Videl smiled back, only her smile seemed to slightly waver, "I have something to tell you that Dende doesn't know about; that no one knows about."

Gohan felt strings of worry snake throughout his stomach. Videl wore such a look that Gohan couldn't decipher her feelings; he couldn't even read her mind this time. "What is it?"

"I- I'm pregnant," Videl said, a smile creeping across her face.

Gohan smiled right back; an uncontainable amount of joy flooding through his veins. Gohan wrapped his arms around Videl; his eyes beginning to water. Videl squeezed him tightly. "I couldn't be happier," Gohan whispered in Videl's ear.

Gohan could now hear Videl slightly sobbing; his shirt becoming wet from her tears. "I love you," Videl said, now letting loose what was hopefully her tears of joy.

Gohan smiled and embraced her tighter, "I love you too."

Videl broke away from Gohan and locked gazes with her. Even with her face red and soaked in tears she was still beautiful. "When should we tell the others?" Videl asked.

"We can tell them at dinner tomorrow night. Everyone is getting together for it," Gohan explained.

Videl's face lit up, "Even Krillin, Piccolo, and the others?"

Gohan's smile faded as he glanced away. His long time teacher and friend, Piccolo, wasn't coming, "Everyone is coming, except for Piccolo. No one can find him."

Videl glanced away, "Do you think it has something to do with Trunks?"

Gohan paused and thought for a moment. Trunks had been missing for almost as long as Piccolo had been. It was sad when it was confirmed that those two were gone, but it was also confusing. "It might, but I don't know. Hopefully we'll find out soon what happened to them. If not… we'll have to move on," Gohan said, his voice drifting away.

Videl nodded her head, but soon had Gohan's hands in hers. She looked at him with a smile on her face, "We are going to parents, Gohan; concentrate on that."

Gohan returned Videl's smile, "You're right… you are oh so right."

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Vegeta threw his fists into the air as fast as he could, the 700g gravity barely slowing him down. His time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had done him good; he was more powerful than he ever could have imagined. Laurel, though, she exceeded him and she probably had never trained a day in her life.

Vegeta thought back to when he was under Bobidi's spell. He had obtained so much power then, but like always… Kakarot was still better. Everyone seemed to be better than Vegeta.

Vegeta quickly stormed into a massive barrage of kicks that seemed to slice through the air too powerfully. It seemed that if Vegeta were to try a little harder he could slice a hole in time.

Thoughts of Laurel flooded back into Vegeta's mind and then thoughts of the battle quickly replaced them. Vegeta remembered, more than anything, how Trunks was no where to be seen. Trunks had disappeared and was still gone… still gone.

Vegeta fell to the gravity room's floor and sat still for a second; the despair coursing through his veins threatening to dissolve his Super Saiyan status. Trunks had been his pride and joy; his Saiyan son that would soon defy the laws of physics and become more powerful than even Kakarot could imagine.

Vegeta then thought of his daughter, Alexia. Yes, she would be the first girl to become a Super Saiyan. While the thought slightly agitated Vegeta, it still made him happy to know that it would be his bloodline to carry a legend.

"Trunks, you have disappointed me, but no matter… someone has taken your place," Vegeta said to himself, his only wish that somehow Trunk's could hear him. Yes, someone had taken his place. Someone who would soon be the true warrior that Vegeta had envisioned.

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Sorry about there being absolutely no action in that one, but hey.. everyone loves a good love story right? Anyway, this is the beginning of Dragonball E/U: The Garrick Saga. I really do hope you enjoy it, remember, review review review.


	2. A Strange Request

Quick reminder... to figure out what set up the events in this fan fic read Trails and Tribulations: A Hidden Saga. Read on, enjoy, and review.

Goten sat on the couch in the living room soaking in as much television as he could before the big get together soon. Everyone was supposed to be coming and Goten wondered how it might affect Laurel. They've only had two of these since the fight and every time Laurel got a nasty look or two.

Goten pulled Laurel in tighter and massaged her arm with his arm that was draped over her shoulders. She laid her head against his shoulder and sighed. Goten couldn't tell whether it was from relief or whether it was from stress.

"Are you okay?" Goten asked, but not taking his eyes off the television.

"I'm fine… just worried about tonight," Laurel answered.

"It's going to be fine, I promise," Goten said and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Goten really hoped that everyone would accept her. They were beginning to make her extremely uncomfortable and Goten wasn't taking too kindly to it. Out of everyone it seemed like the person who was there the least, Krillin, took it the best. He had always been extremely nice to her and even managed to make her laugh on a couple of occasions.

"Goten, you'll protect me won't you?" Laurel asked, worry surrounding her words.

"Why do you say that?" Goten asked, intrigued.

"Your family… especially Vegeta; it feels like they're all just going to lash out one day and throw me to the curb.

Goten softly guided her chin to him, letting their eyes connect. Goten then, for a brief second, took in the beauty of her green eyes; the faint glow was still there. "They won't do that. You just… you tried to kill us… that's all. Everyone will see soon enough that it wasn't you that did it," Goten explained as reassuringly as he possible could.

Laurel smiled and briefly pressed her lips against Goten's; a kiss he had gotten a thousand times, but had never gotten tired of. Laurel pulled away and softly stroked his cheek; the sensation traveled throughout Goten's body and sent shivers down his spine.

"I love you… with all my heart. I never want to lose you," Laurel said, her eyes beginning to glass over.

"Baby, it's okay. I love you too… and you won't lose me… everything will be fine," Goten said, his words putting a smile on her face. She finally nodded and let her head rest back on his shoulder.

Goten finally turned back to the television and almost change the channel; there were too many damn commercials on these days. Though, before he could reach the remote, saw a commercial for something he hadn't taken part in for a very long time.

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Chichi glanced up at the ceiling from her place in the bathtub. She sighed and wondered where her beloved husband was at… this time. He had been stranded in space, died, died again, everything that could've happened did happen to him.

Chichi finally shook her head of the thought and slowly got to her feet; the hot water from the tub slowly running down the length of her bare body. Chichi grabbed a towel from the rack next to her and began slowly drying herself off, thoughts of Goku still creeping into her mind.

The truth was that she never stopped thinking about him. She loved Goku with all her heart and now he was gone… again, but this time… no one knew where to. Chichi finally wrapped the towel around her body and exited the bathroom. She quickly made her way to her room, but in her haste bumped into someone.

Chichi scrambled as the towel slightly fell from its original place; revealing a lot more than she wanted it to. Chichi, her face red, glanced up to see who she had bumped in to.

Yamcha stood in front of her; his eyes still lingering at her chest which moments before had been exposed. "Yamcha, just what in the hell do you think your doing!?" Chichi yelled, angry at his valueless actions.

Yamcha jumped back and began scratching the back of his head, "Ha… I just a… you know… wow."

Chichi shook her head disgusted and was about to tell him off when she had heard the word "wow" escape his lips. "Wow? What's wow?" Chichi asked, wondering what his little "wow" was about.

Yamcha laughed nervously while obviously thinking of an explanation. "I… uh… just… wow," Yamcha said while gesturing to what must have been Chichi's body.

Chichi didn't know what to feel at the moment. It was nice have someone compliment her on how "wow" she was… and on the other hand it was disgusting to have someone rudely gawking at you and invaded your personal space.

"Would you like to see more?" Chichi asked, seductively playing with her towel.

Yamcha's face lit up like it was Christmas morning as he slowly moved in closely to Chichi. "Well, I won't say no," Yamcha said as he moved in closer.

Chichi then whipped around and began walking back towards her room, "Don't think so, buddy!" Chichi quickly entered her room and slammed the door, a smile stretching from ear to ear. It was lovely to get a compliment on her body, only Goku had given her compliments before… and those were rare. Although, it was creepy to finally get a comment and get it from Yamcha.

Chichi, bewildered by whatever had just taken place, locked the door and walked over to the closet wanting nothing more than to be clothed once again.

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Laurel knew all too well it was going to be awkward. She had only been at the strangely long dinner table for more than five minutes and had already gotten nasty looks. Vegeta had given her a nasty look first, but he always looks like that so it's hard to tell. Yamcha was next in line to give her the look, then Tien, then Videl. Master Roshi had given her the last nasty look at the table; although, his seemed more perverted than anything else.

Laurel glanced over at Goten who was shoveling away his meal and then noticed that all the Saiyans were doing the same. Everyone seemed to be talking about something, but Laurel could only hear bits and pieces as thoughts kept entering her mind.

"Laurel? Hey… Laurel," Someone was calling her name.

Laurel looked up and Krillin was looking at her, the biggest grin on his face. "So tell us humans what it's like to be on the Super Jinteki level," Krillin said.

Laurel smiled, "I really don't remember much."

Yamcha quickly stood from his seat, "Don't lie. You slaughtered your little boyfriend over there, you must remember that."

Laurel was shocked by the statement, but manage to catch the barrage of shouts thrown Yamcha's way by the entire table. "I'm not proud of it, okay? Besides, I was under some kind of spell, I couldn't control myself," Laurel explained, hoping to take some of Yamcha's heat off of her.

Yamcha pointed at her in a fit of rage, "What says you won't fall under this spell again? This time we might not be prepared and we might _all_ die!"

Goten finally jumped up beside Laurel with his hands curled into fists, "Shut your fucking mouth, Yamcha."

"What are you going to do, runt?" Yamcha retorted. Laurel closed her eyes and tried to shut out everything… needless to say it didn't work.

"Guess what's happening next week?" Goten asked, a hint of challenge in his voice.

"Hopefully it's your funeral," Yamcha quickly snapped at Goten.

Chichi was now out of her seat, "Don't talk to my son that way!"

"You stay out of this," Yamcha said to Chichi.

Now Gohan was up, "Don't talk to my mother that way!"

The entire place had turned into a mad house and Laurel didn't know when it would end. She repeatedly tried to shut it out, but every time it just got louder and louder.

"Silence! You're all acting like a bunch of idiots. Now sit down before _I_ blast you all into oblivion," Vegeta stated matter-of-factly. Everyone did as they were told and sat back in their seats. Finally, silence washed over the room. "Now Goten, as you were saying," Vegeta said, motioning for Goten to speak.

"Next week, they are holding another World Martial Arts Tournament. I was just going to let Yamcha over there know about it," Goten said. Laurel watched the look they gave each other; pure hatred.

"I'm glad you decided to share that with us. Now, if you'll excuse me, the gravity room is calling," Vegeta said and quickly left the table.

Bulma looked over at Goten and Laurel, "Good job guys. Now, everyone hates each other and I won't see my husband until the day of the tournament!" Bulma jumped up from her seat and prepared to leave the room. "I'm surprise the baby even slept through the mess you started!" Bulma yelled and left the room, undeniably going to where Alexia was sleeping.

Laurel covered her eyes with one hand and began to sob. She quickly felt Goten's warmth surround her and almost immediately she felt safe.

"You guys just need to grow the fuck up!" Goten yelled out and Laurel felt herself being pulled from the table. She quickly followed Goten's lead and left the room with him, not wanting to even get a peek at the daggers being stared right into her.

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Goten, on his bed with Laurel, held her until finally the sobbing began to die down. He was now convinced that his entire family was against them. He was definitely going to win the tournament and with the prize money treat Laurel to the best wedding she could imagine.

"Goten?" Laurel whispered as she broke away from his embrace.

Goten looked at, smiled, and took her hand in his, "What is it, baby?"

"I want you to train me," Laurel said, sternly.

Goten couldn't really believe she was actually asking to be trained. If anyone else had heard her say that then she'd never hear the end of it. "I don't know if that's such a good idea," Goten replied.

Laurel hugged him tightly and pushed him onto the bed, "Please, Goten, please. I have to show everyone that I'm not a monster and I have to show everyone at the World Tournament."

Goten raised a confused eyebrow, "So you want to show everyone you're not a monster by beating them up?"

"Exactly; I'll show restraint," Laurel said with a smirk.

Goten nodded; a smile creeping across his face, "I think you've got a pretty good point."

"See, now please let me train with you," Laurel pleaded.

Goten gave her a playful pat on the back, "I won't be able to help you in that department. We need to go to Vegeta."

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Sorry, another one of those "buildup chapters". anyway, enjoy it because the action filled chapters are coming up soon.


	3. Everything will be okay

Sorry I haven't updated in a while... lots of things going on. Anyway, it's getting pretty fun writing out this stuff and I'm even having my brother draw pictures for it. YAY! Anyway, read on and expect fairly regular posts. oh, and if you like it... review! and if you don't like it.. review! flame it, torch it, send it to oblivion... i don't care. just tell what I'm doing right and wrong. thanx.

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Goten knocked on the door to his room and finally it opened. Goten stepped in and saw Laurel, fiddling with her new training outfit. She was wearing black Saiyan body gear without the shoulder guards. Bulma, reluctantly, had made it for her at Goten's request.

"It looks awkward doesn't it?" Laurel asked, glancing at herself in the mirror.

Goten walked over to Laurel and draped his arms over her. "Of course not, you look like you were born to wear it," Goten said before placing a small kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you, baby," Laurel said and then turned to face him. Goten could see a bit of hesitancy in her eyes.

"You're nervous aren't you?" Goten asked.

"Of course I'm nervous; Vegeta doesn't necessarily know how to go easy on somebody," Laurel retorted.

Goten smiled, "Vegeta will slow it down for you, I promise."

"Are you sure?" Laurel asked with a seductively innocent look.

"Positive," Goten replied and happily placed his lips against hers.

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Laurel was the first to step into the gravity chamber, but Goten was right behind her. Vegeta was standing next to the control mechanism, his arms crossed and his foot tapping the floor anxiously.

"You're late," Vegeta remarked.

"Give her a break; she's nervous," Goten said.

Laurel watched as Vegeta rolled his eyes and pressed a button on the control panel he was next to. "I wouldn't even be doing this if I wasn't sure I'd win, but with the disappearance of Kakarot… I am left the strongest warrior here," Vegeta said.

Laurel suddenly felt gravity begin to weigh her down, but not too much. She could still move normally; only her suit felt like it weighed twenty pounds.

Vegeta glanced over at Laurel, "Do you feel anything?"

Laurel nodded, but was slightly confused, "Yeah, don't you?"

Goten laughed a little at what she had said and even Vegeta had to let out one good "ha". "We are used to a lightly higher G-force level than this," Goten explained.

"Well, I want to train like you guys," Laurel said, confident that she could handle it. She had almost killed them all before, why wouldn't she be able to train like them?

"It's like you'll be starting from scratch… like you're a normal everyday human," Goten explained once again.

"Yes, and the fact that if she trained under 600g's of force she'd be crushed," Vegeta chimed in.

"Well, what's the gravity up to now?" Laurel asked, wondering how high up she was; thirty, forty?

Vegeta glanced over at the screen and back at Laurel, "Four." Laurel almost let her jaw drop; was she really that weak? "Woman, don't expect to be as strong as your little "Super Human" thing just yet," Vegeta said sarcastically.

"We need to get started," Goten said, beginning to stretch.

"Finally, someone with some common sense," Vegeta said and cracked his neck from side to side.

"Well, what's first on the agenda?" Laurel asked, now completely excited about the day ahead of her.

"We won't have enough time to actually get you into decent shape so we will have to teach you the basics of ki training," Vegeta explained.

"Yeah, if you know how to use your ki correctly then you can beat any of the regular fighters out there without having to use it externally," Goten added on.

"Now, first things first, try and see if you can sense it. Your ki will be in the core of your body," Vegeta said while pointing to his stomach.

"You can feel it swirling around somewhere close to your spine," Goten said, closing his eyes and seemingly feeling for his ki.

Laurel then did the same, hoping with everything she had that she could sense her ki. She concentrated and after what seemed like an eternity Vegeta interrupted.

"Woman, I don't have time for slow learners," Vegeta barked.

"Give her a little longer," Goten urged.

Laurel tried again and this time could feel something strange going on in her stomach. It felt as if a hundred, really strong, butterflies were swarming around. "I- I feel it," Laurel said, a smile creeping from ear to ear.

"Good, now envision your ki traveling from your stomach to your hand. This will help you to throw your punches harder and to help you guide your fist," Goten explained.

Laurel nodded and let out a comforting sigh. She then did as they told her; she envisioned her ki traveling up into her arm and as she did she could feel the butterflies filling her fingers. "Okay, I can feel it; it's in my hand," Laurel told them; barely able to contain her joy.

"Now… punch me," Vegeta said.

Laurel opened her eyes, but made sure to keep her ki concentrated in her hand. "W-what? Why?" Laurel asked.

"Vegeta…" Goten began to say, but was cut off.

"Don't question me, woman. Punch me… or I destroy your little boyfriend," Vegeta said with a smirk. Vegeta then held up his hand and pointed it at Goten, palm raised. Small streams of electricity then began to swirl around Vegeta's outstretched palm.

"You won't do it," Laurel said, confident that Vegeta wouldn't harm a member of his friend's family.

All Vegeta did was smirk and suddenly an energy ball formed in his palm. Laurel glanced over at Goten who was freaking out. Would Vegeta actually do it? "Don't be so sure," Vegeta finally answered and launched the energy ball.

The energy ball hit Goten in the chest and caused a small explosion, which sent Goten to the wall of the gravity room. Laurel turned to Vegeta and without thinking rushed forward. She quickly concentrated all the ki she had into her first and struck Vegeta dead in the middle of his face.

Vegeta's head whipped back and Laurel fell back into a fighting stance that she never knew she could do. Vegeta quickly brought his hand to his nose, "You caught me off guard, woman," Vegeta finally said.

Goten, from the ground, finally spoke up, "Slow learner, huh?"

Laurel felt another smile coming on as she quickly got the impression that this wouldn't be too hard to learn after all.

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Videl, still sleepy from the morning, lay stretched out on the couch in the living room. Gohan was still sleeping, of course, and Chichi had run to the grocery store. Chichi or Gohan hadn't talked much since last night.

Videl sighed as the thoughts of the dinner flooded into her mind; the dinner had really taken a toll on everyone's feelings for each other. Gohan was aggravated at the fact that everyone had turned on his brother, Chichi was mad for the same reason, Bulma was mad at Laurel, Vegeta didn't care as long as he got to train, and everyone else just didn't want to be a part of it.

Videl wiped away the tear that had just begun to slide down her cheek. She just wanted everyone to be happy or, at least, as happy as she was. She wanted to spread the news to everyone about her baby. She was going to at the dinner, but then everything imploded.

Videl finally sat up from the couch and walked over to the front door. She opened it up and glanced outside at the sunny Wednesday afternoon. She couldn't wait for the tournament to finally take place this weekend; it would calm everyone day. As soon as everyone gets the anger out of their system it would all be peaceful again.

Videl suddenly felt a hand slide across her stomach and a chin nestle against her shoulder. Videl turned her head and smiled as she saw Gohan; his well rested features glowing in the sunlight.

"Good morning," Gohan said with a smile.

"And good morning to you, baby," Videl returned.

Gohan turned Videl away from the doorway and placed his lips against hers. Videl slowly pulled away and smiled. She took in his beautiful features and sighed.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked, seemingly concerned.

"Of course, It's just… it's the baby," Videl replied.

"Is something wrong?" Gohan asked.

Videl glanced away, not wanting to look Gohan in the eyes as she answered his question. "I don't want the baby growing up in this," Videl said, her eyes beginning to water.

Gohan rested his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "It's okay; we'll get out of this soon. After the tournament everyone will come back to their senses," Gohan said with a comforting tone.

Still, Videl was worried no matter how much Gohan tried to reassure her. Everyone was still shaken because of Laurel and now that Goku was presumably gone for good… the world was much more susceptible to attacks. "Goku's gone, everyone hates each other… what if someone else comes? What if we are in such disarray that we can't the defend the Earth?" Videl asked; she truly didn't know the answer.

"We've stopped it from happening so many times before… I think everyone has finally caught on," Gohan responded, his warm smile adorning his features.

Videl smiled back; Gohan had to be right. Everything would soon fall into place and after that it would be a normal… peaceful… life. "I love you Gohan, I really do," Videl whispered.

"I love you, too," Gohan said and embraced her. Videl closed her eyes and slowly drifted into thought; the thought of how safe she felt in Gohan's arms.

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Laurel flew laps around the gravity room as fast as she could and felt every muscle in her body screaming in protest. Laurel trudged on, though, as even Vegeta had remarked at her fast progress. It had only been five hours since they had first started and already Laurel was learning so much.

She had already gotten strong enough to withstand 75gs, she had learned to manipulate her ki in every way possible, and she had learned how to control her in-air abilities. The only thing left to do now was to train and build upon her foundation.

"Faster woman, you've got twenty laps to go and I don't have all day," Vegeta barked out from the center of the room.

The comment ignited Laurel's motivation and drove her to increase her speed. Her body cried out against the action, but there was no stopping her. Laurel quickly finished ten laps and sped up even more as she entered her eleventh.

Suddenly, an energy ball smashed into the side of her face, propelling her into the side of the gravity room. Laurel fell to the floor and quickly shot a glance over at Vegeta.

"Vegeta, what was that for?" Goten quickly asked in her defense.

Vegeta retracted his arm and cracked his neck from side to side. "Time's up… and no more shall be wasted," Vegeta exclaimed.

Laurel got to her feet, "So you're saying the training's over?"

Vegeta laughed, "Don't be so naïve… I haven't gotten in my daily sparring session."

Laurel began to shake as the words burst from Vegeta's lips. "You want to spar… with me?" Laurel asked, hoping he'd say it was a joke.

"Of course not…" Vegeta answered as if Laurel should have already known. Laurel sighed and felt a smile creep from ear to ear. "I want to spar with both of you."

Laurel's eyes went wide as she glanced up at Vegeta and noticed Goten do the same. "Yo- you what?" Goten asked, hesitantly.

"You've got three seconds to prepare and I've already started counting," Vegeta said with a devilish smirk.


	4. Now It's More Than Money

Hey everyone, just to let you know as another reminder... check out Trials and Tribulations: A Hidden Saga if you wanna know what's going on here. Anyway, this is the next installment and there are many more to come... so read and review. I say that everytime, but hey... it's like an alarm clock.. it's always helpful to remind you.

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Goten, a white aura sparkling around him, soared along the edge of the forest as the sky became slowly darker. Goten had left to go clear his mind after Laurel became a "mini-Vegeta". With only two days left until the tournament, Goten could understand why she would want to train a lot, but constantly? Goten shook his head as he thought of how she hadn't eaten or slept in a day and a half. Goten did love her with everything in him, but sometimes things she did just really got to him.

Goten suddenly saw something out of the corner of his eye; a bright flash of golden light from inside the forest. Goten stopped mid-flight and turned towards the source of the light, but everything was dark again. Goten quickly began searching the forest with his mind, trying to sense any amount of ki larger than a bird's.

Suddenly, there was another flash of gold and Goten was locked on. Goten's eyes widened and he immediately began to tremble as the size of the power level began to settle in. Goten knew for sure that Vegeta and Gohan were at home; it had to be Goku.

Goten quickly darted into the forest and towards the source of the power. "Goku, is that you in there?" Goten yelled out.

"Go home, Goten," A voice yelled back in response.

Goten knew that voice better than he knew his girlfriend; it was Trunks. "Trunks!? Is that you?" Goten asked, but only to evoke a response from his one-time best friend. Goten couldn't help but feel happy at the fact that maybe he had finally found him.

"Don't make me force you," Trunks called out. Goten slowed to a stop this time and hovered in place. Trunks' voice was evil that last go around, but it was still Trunks.

"Please Trunks, let me help you," Goten pleaded with him.

Goten waited for an answer, but the only thing he heard was the whistling of the wind through the trees. Suddenly, Trunks appeared in front of Goten, his features barely visible in the inky blackness of the forest.

"Goten, please leave. This is something I have to do," Trunks said, his voice now much softer.

"But what are you doing?" Goten asked, truly puzzled by his friend's behavior.

"I have to be on my own. I have to get away from all of this; the bickering, the treachery, the deceit," Trunks explained.

"What about your life? What about your family?" Goten asked.

"I'll start all of that over soon enough," Trunks answered.

Goten finally understood what Trunks was getting at, "The tournament."

"You did always catch on quick, Goten," Trunks said. Goten then swore he saw a smile on Trunks' lips. "I'm going to miss hanging out with you, pal," Trunks said. Goten smiled too; his true friend was finally back and talking to him.

"Come back with me Trunks, please," Goten's voice almost implemented he was begging.

Trunks laughed a little, "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll just win the tournament and be on my way."

Goten knew what Trunks was going to do, but only realized it after the words had left Trunks' mouth. Goten couldn't let Trunks win the tournament… he had to win it himself. "Sorry, but I won't be able to let you do that," Goten said with a smile as his hand scratched the back of his head nervously.

Goten, his features barely visible, cocked his head at Goten quizzically. "Why is that?" Trunks asked.

"I, kind of, need to win," Goten replied, becoming even more nervous.

"It has to do with Laurel, doesn't it?" Trunks asked.

Goten could feel a slight raise in Trunks' power level. "Um… yeah," Goten said.

Suddenly, in a flash of golden light, Trunks was visible. His eyes were green and his hair was standing at attention. Trunks' aura whirled fiercely around him as he grimly stared at Goten.

"Would you look at the time," Goten remarked, metaphorically glancing at his wrist.

Trunks began to laugh as he powered down; the gold dissipating into the night air. "Don't worry… we'll just save it for the tournament," Trunks finally said.

Goten felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Sounds like a plan, but you're sure you don't want to come back?" Goten asked, hoping that Trunks would choose to reconsider.

"And trade in all the peace and quiet of the forest?" Trunks retorted with a question of his own.

"You don't live out here. I don't know where you've been staying lately, but it's not out here," Goten said.

"Now… would you look at the time," Trunks said and before Goten could say anything… he was gone. Goten felt wind rush up against him as Trunks soared off into the forest. Goten contemplated chasing after him, but after a moment, decided against it. He really needed to get back to Laurel, and, from what he just saw, he needed to train.

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Laurel sat up against the wall of the gravity room, exhausted from all the training. Laurel had finally decided that it was time to take a break and now her body was catching up with all the training she had been doing.

Pains quickly found themselves running along all her tendons. Laurel felt that she could barely stand, and finally gave in to it. She collapsed and landed on the floor, back first. She then felt a smile creep across her lips; sleep was such a wonderful thing.

Laurel felt her eyes close and her mind begin to melt away; until she was quickly snapped back to reality. Laurel felt a pressure, a hand, on her shoulder. Laurel opened her eyes and looked up… at Yamcha.

Laurel quickly tried to scoot away, but every part of her body failed to meet her mind's request. "Hey, it's okay. I was just walking around and I could kind of sense the drop in your ki," Yamcha said, trying desperately to wash any uneasy feelings out of her.

Laurel wasn't buying it. "You hate me, Yamcha. Don't give me your sentimental crap," Laurel said, adrenaline beginning to flow through her system. She quickly sat up, overriding the pain, only to find herself in Yamcha's arms.

"I promise, I'm only trying to help," Yamcha said, once again sounding a little too nice. Laurel sat in his arms for a second, slightly scared to move, but mostly too tired.

"Trying to help yourself to what's in my pants or trying to catch a glimpse of what you'll have to deal with at the tournament?" Laurel snapped at Yamcha before he had a chance to get another word out.

"Ha, well the first one doesn't sound too bad," Yamcha said with a smile on his face. Laurel, completely disgusted with Yamcha's comment, was about to push him away when the gravity room door opened.

Laurel felt her heart jump into her throat as she saw Goten standing before them; a disgruntled look on his face. "Wow, training sure has trained a lot since I last participated in it," Goten said, his words oozing with sarcasm.

Laurel quickly pushed Yamcha away, which probably only made the situation worse, and quickly tried to make sense of the situation. "Goten, this isn't what it looks like. It-

"How cliché of you, baby," Goten said, cutting Laurel off.

Laurel was about to finish when Yamcha decided that he would try his luck at it. "We weren't doing anything, man. She had such a sudden drop in ki and I sensed it while I was out walking… I came in to help," Yamcha explained. Laurel, probably being the only time it would ever happen, nodded her head in agreement with him.

"Is that what they call it now… walking?" Goten said, curling his hands into tight fists.

Yamcha quickly stood up, obviously noticing Goten's angry appearance. "Listen to me, we weren't doing anything. Do you understand or do I have to beat some sense into you?" Yamcha yelled out.

Goten seemed to laugh at his tantrum, "You know I could blow you away, right?

Laurel watched as Yamcha backed up in shock, but soon stood his ground. "You wouldn't do it. You're too much like your father: good willed, loving, all that bullshit," Yamcha said, angrily.

Goten seethed; his hair began to rise slowly as an aura built up around him. "So now you've got a problem with my dad?"

"I've got a problem with all of you crazy people. I'm out of here," Yamcha said and began walking towards the door. Goten stood still, even as Yamcha roughly brushed up against him on his way out.

Laurel sighed in relief as Yamcha safely made it out the door; she didn't want anyone fighting over something that never happened. "Do you believe me yet?"

Goten looked away, but was visibly calmer. "Just give me a second… I've had a weird night," Goten said.

Laurel struggled, but finally managed to get to her feet. She slowly walked over to Goten and put her arms around him. "I'd never do anything like that to you Goten. You're the most important person in my life. Even though your family hates me… they mean a lot to me," Laurel said, dropping everything she had into her speech.

Goten began to say something back, but everything became groggy. His words seemed to drift away… drift away somewhere she had never been before. Laurel tried to listen, but spots of black quickly began to fill her vision. It only took another moment and then everything went black… and silent.

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Vegeta paused a moment before entering the gravity room and began to stretch. He felt good after having breakfast, granted he had to make it himself, and so he decided that today's training would be different. Hopefully Laurel and Goten were ready for it; today would be different.

Vegeta finished his stretches and quickly glanced up at the brightening sky; he should've gotten out her earlier. Vegeta then walked up to the gravity room, opened the door, and stepped inside.

Vegeta would've been surprised at the sight, but he actually didn't even know what to think of it. Everything in the gravity room looked normal until he had glanced down at the floor; Laurel and Goten seemed to have made a bed out of it.

Vegeta, opting to avoid them, walked over to the control panel and set the room for 800g. Vegeta then slid his finger over the button, but quickly paused. As much as he wanted to brutalize himself today… he didn't want Goten waking up next to a pile of what used to be Laurel. Vegeta went back and set the room to 300g; just about what Laurel had gotten used to.

Vegeta then looked back at her before pressing turning on the gravity. She was just a mere human… and yet she was quickly catching up to a Saiyan's power. Albeit, not Vegeta's, but definitely Goten's. Vegeta then remembered back to when he had to fight her; yes, her Super Jinteki form was stronger than his Super Saiyan 2 form.

Vegeta then smirked and placed his hand over the button; maybe today he'd get a little revenge for when she tried to kill him. Vegeta pressed the button and immediately heard groans from behind him. Vegeta turned around and saw Goten sitting up, but it seemed as if Laurel was struggling.

"What's wrong with her?" Vegeta asked, wanting to know why his "star pupil" was being so stubborn.

Goten rubbed his eyes, "What's wrong with you? Do you know how early it is?"

Vegeta scoffed at the retort, "We have two days until the tournament. One day of training… and one day of rest."

Goten laughed, "You… rest?"

Vegeta smirked and crossed his arms, delivering a confident demeanor. "We'll all need the rest… if we can survive," Vegeta said.

Goten quickly got to his feet and Laurel slowly followed him. "What?! What are you planning on doing?" Goten asked, visible fear in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, the same doesn't apply to her, but I have something special in mind for that occasion," Vegeta said, nodding towards Laurel. "You and me, we are Saiyans. What doesn't kill us… makes us stronger," Vegeta said, his trademark smirk once again adorning his lips.

Vegeta could tell Goten was catching on when his eyes widened in shock. "I don't think is a good idea Vegeta," Goten replied.

"Well, allow me to disagree," Vegeta said and raised his hand towards Goten.

"This is going to be bad," Goten said, but held his ground.

Vegeta couldn't help but to feel proud for Goten; he was actually going to take the attack. Vegeta surged a massive amount of ki to his hand and watched as it began to glow. He then glanced over at Laurel who looked as if she was about to cry. "Don't worry, I've got something different in mind for you," Vegeta said. Then, with a primal roar, he launched an energy beam at Goten. The beam connected with Goten and the ensuing explosion sent him soaring backwards. Vegeta watched as Goten easily ripped through the wall of the gravity room, causing it to malfunction, and land on the grass outside.

Vegeta felt a tiny weight being lifted from him as the gravity shut off. Vegeta looked over at Laurel, but instead of seeing her sigh in relief… she began to sob. "Woman, don't start your dramatics," Vegeta opened up a container on the control panel and pulled out a bag of sensu beans. He then casual walked out of the gravity room and over to a dying Goten.

Vegeta knelt down beside Goten and looked him over. The energy beam had connected mainly with his chest leaving deep gashes and burns all over his pectoral muscles. Vegeta then noticed the rest of the singes that covered his body and shook his head. Either Goten was really weak or Vegeta was extremely powerful; he then smirked and preferred that it be the latter.

Laurel suddenly showed up beside Goten and Vegeta; her face plagued with worry. "Hurry, give him the sensu bean," Laurel pleaded, but Vegeta scoffed at her ignorance.

"Give him a little longer; the closer he gets to death the better," Vegeta explained to her.

"How can you say that?" Laurel said, seemingly disgusted.

"Woman, stop pestering me. I know what I'm doing," Vegeta said and finally pulled out a sensu bean. He then opened up Goten's mouth and placed the bean inside. Goten, even on the verge of death, swallowed the bean.

It only took a second and Goten's eyes began to flutter open. His burns and gashes then began to quickly heal. Vegeta stood up and smirked at his handiwork. Laurel then got to her feet as well, pulling Goten up with her.

"Are you okay?" Laurel asked, urgency residing in her words.

Goten looked himself over and flexed, "I feel great. In fact, I feel better than great!" Goten, with a small grunt of effort, transformed into a Super Saiyan and glared at Vegeta. Vegeta smirked, his rise in power was impressive, but he had a long way to go.

"Well, again shall we?" Vegeta said with a smirk. He had seven sensu beans left and figured they'd all serve best for today.

Goten smiled, "I thought it was your turn."

Vegeta flew into the air a few feet and glanced down at Goten. "We shall move this to the countryside. You'll need to pull off something pretty spectacular to put me down," Vegeta yelled out.

Vegeta then watched as Goten powered down and motioned to Laurel. They then ascended into the air and flew up to meet him. Vegeta smirked and suddenly found himself even more anxious for the tournament date to arrive. He just loved a good fight, and from the looks of it, he was going to get one.

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Yeah, sorry... long chapter. Anyway, wow, an eerie encounter with Trunks. I got a review for Trials and the person said that Trunks wouldn't really be so mean. Well, it's a combination of Majin side effects, Trunks being mistreated, and of course, him being at least a little like his father. Well, his true character did shine through in this chapter... and don't worry... more answers will come during the tournament. Who knows... he might just confront his family. Dun Dun Duuunnn.


	5. Are You Ready?

new chapter... woohoo... read and review.

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The backyard of Chichi's house was packed with equipment, food, and people. Chichi had started packing for the tournament, they'd be spending the whole day there each day, and Bulma had reluctantly offered to help. She kind of had to, though, because it was most of her stuff they'd be taking.

Bulma glanced out into the yard and had to smile at the sight. Everyone was here and everyone was finally happy. Tien was in the corner talking to Krillin and his wife, Master Roshi was busy "reading" his magazines, Laurel and Goten were talking to Vegeta, Yamcha was busy laughing it up with Gohan and Videl, Chichi was helping to pack, and Alexia was in her crib asleep in the living room.

Bulma glanced out again at Yamcha; it was unbelievable how quickly he had been forgiven. It was Yamcha, though; for his many faults, you still had to love him. Bulma then glanced over at Chichi who didn't seem as happy as everyone else.

"What's wrong over there… can't smile?" Bulma asked, politely.

Chichi glanced over and obviously forced a smile, "I'm sorry… this just brings back memories."

"It'd be better if the memory was complete, huh?" Bulma said, knowing that the comment could either upset or… upset her.

Chichi stopped packing for a moment; Bulma could see her eyes beginning to water a little. "It would be better, but hey… its Goku… he'll show up," Chichi said with a weary smile.

Bulma nodded with enthusiasm, "Of course he'll show up. I remember the time when we were inseparable; nothing could keep the little guy down."

Chichi laughed a little at the comment and finally looked at Bulma, "He's not so little anymore."

Bulma laughed at the statement and so did Chichi; she didn't let it out often, but she had a nasty sense of humor. Bulma finally let her laughter die down and let out a sigh; today… was going to be a great day.

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Laurel stood by as Goten and Vegeta talked about their training the other day. Laurel, though, didn't really want to talk about her part of the training. It wasn't really anything new to her and it did work, but now she felt weird.

"So Laurel, are you ready?" Goten asked her, his hand slightly massaging her shoulder.

"Besides the weird form of training I had to go through… yeah, I'm ready," Laurel replied.

Vegeta laughed at the comment and crossed his arms, "Well, it worked didn't it?"

Laurel did have to agree with him, "Yeah, it worked a lot more than I thought it would."

"Good, because I wasted three good sensu beans on bringing your boyfriend back from the dead," Vegeta retorted.

"Yeah, you went a bit overboard… and for the record… I never died," Goten said.

"Well, the best way for humans to break their ki barriers is for them to suffer emotional stress," Vegeta explained.

"How do you know all this, Vegeta?" Laurel asked, truly wondering how he knew everything… about everything.

"I've traveled to almost every galaxy there is… and destroyed half of them. Let's just say I picked up a few things," Vegeta explained.

Laurel shook her head, not even wanting to comment on the subject. She, instead, turned towards Goten and took his hand in hers. She smiled and Goten smiled right back.

"You'd think that people would get tired of that," Vegeta remarked and walked off.

Laurel rolled her eyes and glanced up at Goten who was surveying the crowd in the yard. "Are you ready for today?" Laurel asked.

"I've done this before… so I really think I should be asking you that question," Goten said, turning his attention to her.

"Well, I think I'll do okay… until I have to face you guys," Laurel said, nodding towards the crowd in the yard.

Goten cupped Laurel's cheek and she couldn't help but feel sensual against his silken skin. "I might just let you win if you face me," Goten whispered to her and then placed his lips against hers. Laurel indulged in the lip-lock until Bulma could be heard yelling from across the yard.

"Alright everyone, everything is in the car and we're ready to go!" Bulma cried out, her words strife with enthusiasm.

Laurel then watched as everyone cheered and began hustling towards the backdoor of the house. "Is this really that big of a deal?"

"It really is," Goten answered as he began walking to the house.

Laurel quickly stepped up beside him and walked at his brisk pace. "What's so important about it?" Laurel asked, truly curious. She had never been to one… or even heard about one.

"Well, everyone here loves to fight; that and we haven't gotten to finish one in quite a while," Goten said, the last of his words coming out with a bit of laughter.

Laurel smiled and thought to herself; if the tournament was this important to everyone else then it was that important to her.

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Frieza glanced out at the stars as they left the planet behind, ravaged and barren. They had now been searching the universe for over a year and had only managed to gather a handful of worthy fighters.

"Master, how much longer until we have enough of them?" Frieza asked Janemba, who was sitting in a chair beside him. Frieza glanced at Janemba to better receive his answer and to take in the room; he had been glancing at the stars for so long he had forgotten where he was. The room was decorated for comfort and most of the time it served as a meeting room for the people aboard the ship; quite efficient.

"You know as well as I do that the answer to your question will not be known for some time," Janemba answered, his voice a shrill rasp.

Frieza shook his head with annoyance, "I'm almost strong enough to beat those monkeys by myself!"

"Another outburst and you won't be here to fight any monkeys," Janemba replied coolly.

Frieza swallowed his anger, knowing that Janemba could destroy him with ease. "Just tell me why we need more fighters. What is the purpose?" Frieza asked, the answer eluding him.

"If we wish to bring peace to the galaxy we don't want anyone standing in our way. Wouldn't it be much easier to bring them under our spell now and have them help us… then have to fight the warriors of Earth all by our lonesome?" Janemba answered with an informative question.

Frieza nodded, but only to appease his master. "If this is what you truly think then it must be the best option," Frieza answered. He hated having to serve someone like this; having to be at someone's beck and call. Though, what goes around comes around, and if it meant being alive… Frieza would serve whoever he needed to.

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Goten stood in front of the massive computer screen that took up one whole wall of the "bracket room". Everyone had shown up about an hour ago, set up the gear in their rest area, and now Goten was the first one to check the brackets.

He went to the keyboard, typed in his name, and quickly looked up at the large screen. The brackets zoomed in and scrolled across the first round matches until finally stopping on his name. His opponent was someone named Parlen.

"I guess you're the guy I'm fighting, huh?" Goten heard a girl's voice next to him. Goten glanced to his right and saw a beautiful girl examining the screen when suddenly it changed as someone at another keyboard began searching.

"You're a fighter?" Goten asked, actually surprised. The girl was beautiful: blond hair, incredible body, silky voice.

"Don't judge me by what I look like. I'll probably end up kicking your ass," Parlen said with a playful smile.

"We'll see about that," Goten retorted, his answer just a playful.

"Excuse me!?" The unmistakable voice of Laurel called out across the room. Goten turned to look at her and so did Parlen; though, she looked a little scared.

"Hey Laurel, this is who I'm facing first in the tournament," Goten called out as Laurel got closer.

"Well that's a good thing, because if it were me," Laurel said, stopping in front of Parlen and shaking her first.

"It's not what you think," Parlen said to her defense.

"Wow, you girls sure do use that line a lot," Goten said with a laugh.

Laurel shot a piercing glare at Goten and he immediately knew he needed to keep his mouth shut. Then, Laurel's features became softer and she even smiled. "I'm sorry… you're right. So what's your name?" Laurel asked, looking at Parlen.

"It's Parlen… and I think I'll be going now," Goten watched as the girl struck off into the crowd of people in the room.

"You sure do have a mean streak," Goten said, draping his arm over Laurel's shoulder.

Laurel wrapped her arm around Goten's waist and squeezed him tight. "It's only because I love you!" She said enthusiastically.

Goten smiled and began walking forward with Laurel at his side. They exited the bracket room and began strolling down the walkway. Goten glanced out at the shops next to them, the first aid building in the corner, the rest areas for the fighters, and finally the entrance to the arena.

"Excited?" Laurel asked Goten.

Goten nodded, "I am, but darn… we forgot to see who you were fighting."

Goten began to turn back, but Laurel stopped him. "It's okay… a little surprise never hurt anyone," Laurel said with a warm smile.

Goten smiled back knowing that she was right. A surprise could never hurt… especially the one she was going to get later.

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Gohan sighed and stretched back in his hammock he had set up in their rest area. It was covered by a large tent and filled with technology. Bulma had graced the area will sleek auto-fold out tables, an every purpose grill, a bar for the victory celebrations, and just about anything else you can think of.

"Gohan, don't you think you should be getting ready?" Videl asked him from the chair next to him.

"Why? It's not like I'm facing anyone we know," Gohan replied. Videl did have a point, though. Who knows what kind of fighters have entered this year's tournament.

"You're in the first match of the whole tournament and all you've been doing lately is reading, studying, and basically being a nerd," Videl replied, a slight giggle following her statement.

"Oh come on, I didn't deserve that. Plus, I'll be fine… it'll only last a few seconds anyway," Goten replied confidently. The only challenging matches he was going to have would be with his friends or family.

"Well someone is a little sure of himself today," Chichi said as she approached Gohan and Videl.

Gohan turned his head and caught a glimpse of his mother approaching them; a drink already in hand. "Mom, don't you think it's a little early for that?" Gohan asked.

"With both of my babies in the tournament… I should've started yesterday. You two are going to fry my nerves!" Chichi yelled out and took a large swig of her drink.

"Oh Mom, I'm glad you're handling this like an adult," Gohan said sarcastically. The only reason he said it being to draw a reaction from Chichi.

"Gohan, don't talk to your mother like that," Videl said, finally chiming in.

"Sorry, hun," Gohan replied, knowing that Videl and Chichi were good at teaming up on him. Gohan then rolled off his hammock and onto his feet. "If you guys don't mind… I think I'm going to go warm up with Vegeta," Gohan said before taking a step away from them.

"Vegeta and Bulma left for a little while," Chichi said before Gohan could get too far.

Gohan sighed and turned to face them. "Well, why'd they leave?" Gohan asked, hoping Vegeta would pop up soon.

"They forgot a few things at the house, but they said they'd be back before the start of the tournament," Chichi informed him.

Gohan nodded and retook his spot back on the hammock. "I guess I'll just take a nap then," Gohan said, quickly shutting his eyes.

"Well, you don't have too long… they'll announce the beginning of the tournament in about half an hour," Videl said.

Gohan sat up, once again, and got to his feet. "I guess I better get dressed then," Gohan said and began his walk over to his suitcase. He was still dressed in his "good clothes" and definitely needed to change into his fighting clothes if he wanted to be really affective during the tournament.

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And we are now this (holds fingers really close together) close to the tournament. Can't you hear the cheers, ooo's, and awe's already?? i can. Anyway, stay interested and read on... please.


	6. The Mystery Apprentice

Laurel stood at the doorway that led to the ring with Goten; she was getting more nervous by the second. Goten's smile made her feel better, though, and his touch soothed her.

"How does that feel?" Goten asked as he finished adjusting her Saiyan body armor.

"It's a little tight," Laurel informed him upon feeling the armor pinch her side.

Goten began adjusting it, "You know you're one of the last matches of the day… you better put on a good show."

Laurel rolled her eyes as Goten finished informing her of that for the hundredth time. "I don't care if I put on a good show… I'm just glad our friends have done well," Laurel said, thinking of the earlier matches.

"Yeah, but that's only going to make it tougher for us. Gohan, Krillin, Tien, Vegeta… they won't be easy to beat," Goten said as he backed away with a proud smile.

"Yes, Goten, it feels fine now," Laurel said. "And it's going to be okay… a tough fight is a good fight," Laurel said, addressing Goten's earlier comment.

Goten laughed a little, "I never thought I'd hear you say that. You sounded a lot like my dad."

Laurel smiled and hugged Goten, "You're father was a great guy. I wish I could've spent more time with him."

Laurel felt Goten squeeze her tighter, "I wish I could have, too."

Suddenly, voice boomed through the air and Laurel knew it was time. "Our first competitor in this match up just happens to be one of our youngest; she'll be occupying the far corner… Laurel!"

Laurel glanced one last time at Goten who gave her a reassuring smile. "I believe in you," Goten said. Laurel nodded to him and made her way through the doors. She quickly stepped up into the ring and glanced out at the crowd.

Laurel was in awe as she made her way to her corner; she must have had at least seventy thousand people staring right down at her. Laurel quickly searched through them all and found her family and friends. They were cheering her on. Laurel felt her eyes began to water as she indulged in the moment; they really did care for her.

"Now, our next competitor… a veteran fighter here at the tournament… Yamcha!" The announcer yelled out from the side and Laurel immediately felt her stomach drop. The sensation was quickly replaced, though, by a feeling of pure hatred.

Yamcha stepped up into the ring and indulged in his cheers; he was obviously pretty popular. Yamcha smiled and waved to everyone, but soon his eyes settled on her. "Didn't expect to see you here," Yamcha said sarcastically.

"You have to be the only person out of the whole family that I actually hate," Laurel said, unable to contain her disdain for Yamcha.

"Harsh words, baby," Yamcha said.

Yamcha was about to say something else when the announcer leaped forward with unparalleled enthusiasm. "Begin!" The announcer yelled and Yamcha was already rushing Laurel.

Laurel began to fall back into her fighting stance, but Yamcha was already on top of her. Laurel managed to dodge Yamcha's first few punches, but finally one snagged her. Laurel fell back, but managed to handspring back to her feet.

Yamcha was immediately on her again, but this time Laurel was ready. Laurel struck first, unleashing a torrent of strikes in Yamcha's direction. Yamcha managed to block all the attacks, but Laurel noticed his slow reaction time. Laurel quickly threw one last punch, but also brought her knee up with it. Yamcha slyly dodged the punch and landed his chin against Laurel's knee. The shot threw Yamcha against the ring floor.

"Harsh hit too," Laurel said, taunting Yamcha.

"You won't be thinking that way for long," Yamcha said and powered up, letting his white aura flow around him.

Laurel quickly did the same and fell back into her fighting stance. Yamcha then rushed towards Laurel and threw his knee forward. Laurel then knocked it aside and slammed her elbow into Yamcha's temple. Yamcha flew backwards, but Laurel followed him.

"I deserve to be treated fairly," Laurel said and smashed her fist into Yamcha's face. The strike sent Yamcha flying in a different direction, but still… Laurel was on top of him.

"I deserve to be treated like a person," Laurel said and this time drove her foot into Yamcha's stomach. The strike sent Yamcha downwards where he quickly smashed into the ring.

Laurel slowly descended down a few feet from him Yamcha and waited as he rose to his feet. "I… deserve… to be treated… with… respect!" Laurel yelled and powered up an energy ball in her hand. Yamcha leapt back, but Laurel was already launching the blast. It quickly found Yamcha's chest and exploded against it.

Yamcha soared backwards by the force of the blast and landed near the edge of ring. Laurel then watched as Yamcha didn't stop, but instead slid off the flooring of the ring and to the grass outside.

"That's a ring out! You're winner… Laurel!" The announcer shouted and Laurel heard some cheers from the crowd. Laurel smiled as she soaked in the cheers; maybe she could get used to this.

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Goten cheered Laurel on from the opening near the doors. He watched her as she left the ring and walked back to where he was. "You did great!" Goten said, rushing over and hugging her. As he hugged her, he watched as Yamcha entered the room and walked by, a nasty look on his face.

Laurel broke away from the hug and looked up at Goten, "I guess you did well by believing in me."

Goten smiled, "I guess I did, didn't I?" Goten then leaned forward and kissed Laurel. Goten broke away as he heard his name being called. "Wow, looks like I'm next," Goten said as he hugged Laurel one last time and ran out the doors.

Goten quickly trudged up to his spot as they introduced his opponent, Parlen. She stepped into the ring and smiled confidently at him. "You really do think you're going to win, don't you?" Goten asked.

"Let's just say I've got a hunch," Parlen replied, falling back into her fighting stance.

"Begin!" The announcer yelled.

Goten, wearing a smile, casually began to walk towards the statuesque Parlen. Suddenly, she rushed forward covering the space between them faster than Goten had expected. Goten suddenly fell back on the defensive as Parlen unleashed a barrage of strikes in his direction. Goten managed to block every one of them, but not without struggling.

"Wow, you're good," Goten remarked as Parlen fell back from the onslaught.

"You blocked my attacks, but how?" Parlen asked, obviously baffled at Goten's speed.

"I'll let you know after I win," Goten said and rushed forward. Goten quickly threw forward a fist, but cautiously made sure to soften the blow. Parlen skillfully caught the strike, dodged to the side, and drove her knee into Goten's ribcage. Goten stumbled from the attack, but managed to stay on his feet.

"How'd you like that one?" Parlen asked, a confident smile on her face.

Goten smiled right back, "I guess you really know what you're doing."

Parlen gave him a sarcastic shrug and Goten quickly took the opportunity. Goten rushed forward and quickly struck out against Parlen. Goten's fist expertly found its mark against her forehead and sent her tumbling backwards.

Goten had no reprieve as Parlen quickly recovered and ran back towards Goten. Goten stumbled back as Parlen's strikes overwhelmed him and drove him to the side of the ring. Goten, after coming an inch from falling off, leapt high into the air and back into the middle of the ring.

"Bet you wish you could do that," Goten said, trying his best to weed out all of Parlen's power.

Parlen smiled and fell for it; she easily lifted herself up and began hovering a foot off the ground. "This was the easiest part of my ki training," Parlen said.

Goten's eyes widened at Parlen's statement. Goten was sure he heard her correctly and that meant she knew more tricks than she let on. Goten quickly brought his mind back to the fight; he darted off at Parlen, skimming across the floor of the ring.

Parlen leapt forward also and met Goten head on; the result being a fast barrage of strikes and blocks. Goten finally took his chance and threw a perfectly aimed strike at Parlen's stomach. Parlen though, in a blur of action, flipped over the attack and struck Goten in the back of the head.

The force of the attack sent Goten to the floor of the ring, but he immediately returned to his feet. "Okay, so you have some skill. Well try this on for size," Goten said and began powering up. A white aura then spilled out from his body and whirled fiercely around him.

"Amateur," Parlen said and did the same. Goten grimaced as he felt his power being matched by the mystery girl. Goten strained even harder and his aura became brighter. Parlen smirked and once again mimicked his action.

Goten quickly shot forward and lashed out at Parlen. Parlen dodged the attack and threw her knee at Goten's head. Goten ducked out of the way and forced his elbow at Parlen's stomach. Parlen then grabbed the strike and whipped Goten towards the ground. Goten quickly recovered and darted up to Parlen. He then struck out at Parlen when he was close enough, but his fist passed right through her.

Goten whipped around and saw Parlen standing behind him. "An afterimage, huh?"

"My mentor taught me everything he knew… which is probably more than everything you know," Parlen said.

Goten smirked, "I highly doubt that." Goten then released the energy within him and let his Super Saiyan power flow through his veins. His aura quickly became a fierce, golden mass.

"Impressive," Parlen remarked and simply placed two fingers against her forehead.

Goten's jaw dropped as he recognized her stance; she was either going to disappear or try and blow a hole straight through him. Goten quickly disappeared and reappeared behind her. He then whipped his foot into the side of her head and sent her spiraling down towards the ring.

"Just a little insurance," Goten said as he launched an energy blast down to the ring with her. Parlen then connected with the ring and a moment later the blast connected with her. The ensuing explosion continued Parlen on her tumbling path towards the end of the ring and soon she was lying back first on the grass.

"You're winner… Goten!" The announcer yelled out and cheers once again filled the stadium. Goten was now convinced that the audience really did just cheer for everyone. Goten then drew his mind back to the situation; the mystery girl was already on her feet and she appeared to be more pissed off than hurt.

Goten quickly flew down to where she was and landed beside her as she began her walk to the doors. "Parlen, wait up," Goten said as he jogged to a stop beside her.

"Get away from me," Parlen yelled and pushed open the doors in front of her. Goten, not letting her request falter him, followed her in and stepped in her way.

"What's wrong? I thought you did pretty swell," Goten said with his best reassuring smile.

"You don't understand! I was going to win this tournament for my mentor!" Parlen yelled.

Goten glanced around and noticed that all the eyes in the room were on them. "Okay, calm down. Well, where is this guy? I want to let him know he did a good job on training you," Goten informed Parlen.

"He's gone… that's why this meant so much to me. He disappeared about a year ago," Parlen said, her demeanor now changing; Goten noticed the sad look in her now watering eyes.

"He must have been a great man," Goten said, but suddenly all of Parlen's information flooded to him at once: the stance she made during the fight, the way her mentor disappeared one year ago. "He wasn't a man was he?" Goten asked.

Parlen glanced up at him with questioning eyes. "Did you know him?" Parlen asked.

"He was one of our best friends; he was family. Piccolo…" Goten said, his mind now drifting to thoughts of his Namekian friend.

"Oh god…" Parlen cried out and embraced Goten. Goten, not knowing where Laurel was, reluctantly held her while she sobbed.

"It'll be okay, Parlen. Here I've got an idea," Goten said and Parlen glanced up at him through red, watery eyes. "When I win… I'll dedicate the fight to Piccolo," Goten said.

"Oh… thank you," Parlen said, her words full of gratuity.

Suddenly, Goten was ripped from Parlen's grasp and shoved back. Laurel stepped in between them with an angry look taking control of her features. "You never seem to stop with the women, do you Goten?" Laurel asked.

Goten couldn't help but smile, "Boy, do I have a story to tell you!"

This only seemed to upset Laurel more, "I bet you do!"

"Just listen to him," Parlen said from behind Laurel.

Goten watched as Laurel whipped around to face Parlen. "I saw the fight. I saw how much you two talked back and forth to each other," Laurel said.

Goten rolled his eyes at Laurel; how could she care about that more than what she can do? "You mean you don't want to know about her abilities?" Goten asked.

Laurel whipped around once more, "Why should I care, Goten?"

"Piccolo trained her," Goten said softly. Laurel immediately looked to the floor, obviously embarrassed. "Laurel…" Goten began, but she was already running down the hall.

"Will she be okay?" Parlen asked?

"I better go get her. You can come too… I'll introduce you to the family," Goten said as he darted off after Laurel.

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How exciting... so it seems that Piccolo had an apprentice?? Gohan might get along nicely with her... ha... well, we'll see soon enough. read on, enjoy, and review.


	7. The Rematch

"So how'd he go about teaching you the special beam cannon?" Gohan asked.

Vegeta watched on as Gohan and Parlen discussed the time each of them had with Piccolo; it would've interested Vegeta, but he had never liked the green fellow anyway.

Vegeta turned away from the conversation and walked over to where Bulma was sitting. They had all spent the night in the tent; anxiously waiting for the second round of the tournament. Well, Parlen went back to stay with her parents who, from what Vegeta had heard, knew nothing about the training with Piccolo.

"Woman, wake up," Vegeta said, shaking Bulma by the shoulder. Bulma promptly fell out of her bed, but was quickly on her feet, berating Vegeta.

"Don't you dare roll me out of bed, bucko!" Bulma yelled. "I don't care how hungry you are or how horny you are… it's just rude!" Bulma finally finished.

Vegeta glanced around and sure enough everyone was staring at them. "What are you all gawking at!?" Vegeta yelled out; not so much a question as it was an indicator. Vegeta turned back to Bulma, "And you rolled out of bed yourself, woman."

"Oh…" Bulma said, blushing.

"Now, I'm hungry," Vegeta said with a smirk.

Bulma collapsed back on to her bed in what was obviously a fit of annoyance. "Vegeta, I don't think we have enough here to actually feed you," Bulma said.

"What a wise choice," Vegeta snapped back sarcastically. "Fine, I'll just go buy about three of the stands out in the marketing alley," Vegeta said and turned away from Bulma. He then exited the tent, pushing past an entering Krillin and Tien.

Vegeta briskly walked from the tent and towards the merchant alley. As he continued to walk, he gazed around at all the different assortments of people that filled the area. If it wasn't for Kakarot they would've been killed by Vegeta… multiple times actually.

Vegeta then settled on the thought of Kakarot and how he'd been gone for over a year. Then the though hit him of how he was on Namek with Bulma for a week. Vegeta seethed; if he had even looked at her wrong Vegeta would've blasted him to oblivion.

Vegeta glanced up from the ground and saw that he was finally in the merchant alley. Dozens of stands lined the pathway that adorned one side of the arena grounds. Vegeta glanced around, completely ready to indulge in his four stand feast.

Something suddenly caught Vegeta's eye; a dash of ear length purple hair. Vegeta quickly sensed for the ki, but inside he knew that this scenario was impossible. Vegeta then blanked away the thought as he grabbed onto a small ki trail. Vegeta quickly pushed the crowd in front of him, shoving the shoppers to the side.

The ki trail, it was right next to him, Vegeta could sense it. Vegeta quickly grabbed the person to his left and pushed her to the side… only to reveal an empty space. The ki trail was gone too… it was as if it had never been there.

Vegeta quickly glanced around him, but finally had to give up. The ki trail was gone… and with it the thought of getting to see his only son again.

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Laurel sat in the tent as she watched Krillin and 18 say "hey" to everyone. 18 had been gone with Marron for a little while and wasn't able to make it to the first round of the tournament. Finally, Krillin and 18 made it her way; Krillin wearing a big smile and 18 looking only slightly amused.

"Hey Laurel!" Krillin said, gleefully.

"How's it going, Krillin?" Laurel asked.

"Good. You haven't met my wife 18 yet have you?" Krillin asked?

"I haven't," Laurel answered and decided not to ask questions. She had heard before about the android dilemma, but never really pressed the matter. "Hi, I'm Laurel," Laurel extended her hand.

"Well, Krillin already spoiled it so I'm pretty sure you know who I am. It's nice to meet you," 18 said with a slight smile.

"Where's Marron? I haven't met here either," Laurel wondered aloud.

"She's getting something to eat with Tien," Krillin answered.

Laurel watched as 18 turned towards Krillin. "Yeah, and I don't think that was a good idea," 18 chimed in.

"Tien's a good person… so don't judge him because of his third eye," Krillin said.

18 then sighed in annoyance and walked away. "I'll be back," Krillin said and ran off after his wife.

Laurel stood up from her chair and decided that she really needed to go find a bathroom. She quickly exited the tent and glanced around, trying to find a sign or any indication of where she could go to relieve herself.

Suddenly, a large pain wrapped itself around Laurel's head as she collapsed to the ground; black spots threatening to swallow her vision. "What the..." Laurel tried to ponder aloud, but the throbbing in her head increased.

"Laurel!" Someone screamed her name in the background. Laurel turned her head, but only saw legs. "Laurel, what happened?" The person asked again.

Laurel glanced up and squinted hard to see who was calling to her. She then felt herself being wrapped inside the person's arms and quickly realized who it was. "Videl?" Laurel asked weakly.

"Yeah, but are you okay?" Videl asked.

Laurel tried to answer, but her vision kept becoming darker and darker. Laurel felt her energy leave her and suddenly her body became limp in Videl's hands. "I… don't know," Laurel managed to say before letting the darkness envelope her.

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Goten paced back and forth in front of Laurel; her unconscious body snug under blankets on an air mattress. "What's wrong with her?" Goten asked the few people that were at his side.

"This is the eighth time you've asked and we still don't know," Bulma replied.

"Well, how many matches left until hers… or mine?" Goten asked.

"You've got three matches left before you go on and hers is the match after yours," Videl answered. "Vegeta won his match, Tien won his match, and Krillin is fighting now," Videl finished.

Suddenly, a disheveled 18 appeared sprinted into the tent, "It's Krillin… he's collapsed too!"

Goten glanced up at 18 with a look of horrors plaguing his features; what was going on? Goten rushed to the edge of the tent and peered out, barely catching a glimpse of Krillin being hauled off into the medical sector.

Suddenly, an arena medic stepped up beside Goten. "Excuse me sir, you're kin to fighter number twenty seven… Krillin, right?" The medic asked.

Goten nodded, but motioned for the medic to hold on for a moment. Goten whipped back into the tent. "The arena medic is here, but don't let him inside," Goten said while walking back to Laurel.

"Why not?!" 18 asked.

"I'll explain it later. Just keep him outside," Goten replied.

Goten glanced around waiting for someone to question him, but it never came. 18 rushed outside and everyone else huddled at the edge of the tent to listen. Goten glanced down at Laurel; if the medic had seen her he would've removed her from the tournament. If Laurel would've woken up and figured out she was gone from the tournament… her heart would've been broken.

Goten sat next to Laurel and watched as her eyes quivered; there was no telling what was happening in her head. There was just no telling what was going on at all; her condition was a mystery.

"Goten, their calling for you. You're match is next," Tien suddenly said from across the tent. Goten glanced down at Laurel and then over Tien; he didn't want to leave her, but he knew what had to be done.

Goten got to his feet nodded to anyone who was looking at him and quickly exited the tent. He saw 18 walking with the medic pack to the medical facility and then quickly ran through the doors to the arena.

Goten paused, his eyes narrowing at his opponent. He heard the announcer call his name and then the cheers that followed, but his being was centered on the person standing in the opposite corner… Trunks.

Goten stepped into his corner, but never took his eyes off of Trunks. "I guess this was bound to happen," Goten said.

Trunks glanced into the crowd and Goten followed his gaze. Their families were pouring into their spots in the bleachers; eyes widening and jaws dropping at the sight of Trunks.

"Looks like you've got fans," Goten said with a smile.

Trunks' gaze finally settled back on Goten, "Quit with the pleasantries, Goten. This isn't going to be easy for either of us. I love you like a brother, but I have to win this."

"Begin!" The announcer suddenly screamed out, interrupting the conversation.

Goten glanced over at the announcer and then back at Trunks… who was already three feet in front of him. Goten quickly threw up his hands and began blocking Trunks' brutal onslaught of strikes. Goten saw it coming and blocked a strong right hand from Trunks, but was suddenly knocked from the ring by a left jab.

Goten fell to the ground, but managed to propel himself back into the air. Trunks wasted no time and blasted off after Goten; a fierce white aura surrounding his body. Trunks threw up a fierce knee strike, but Goten blocked it; quickly following up with an elbow to Trunks' chin.

Trunks teetered back for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. Goten then found himself dodging a series of fast kicks. Goten dodged one last kick and brought his hand up to deliver an energy blast. He was then knocked from the sky as Trunks connected with a sneaky kick to the rib cage.

Goten quickly hit the ring and slid to the edge. "Just like old times," Goten said to himself as he got to his feet.

Trunks suddenly appeared behind Goten, "Such memories." Trunks then grabbed Goten by the neck and zipped across the ring. Goten quickly rolled out of Trunks' grasp and launched an energy blast at him. The blast connected with Trunks' shoulder and sent him spiraling to the grass outside of the ring.

Goten hovered down to the ring as he waited for Trunks to slam head first into the ground. Trunks held himself above the grass, though, and quickly launched towards Goten.

"Having fun yet?" Trunks asked as he threw a fist forward at Goten.

"I'm having a blast," Goten replied as he blocked the strike and returned the favor.

Goten and Trunks were quickly thrown into a whirlwind of strikes and blocks that immediately ascended to lightning fast speeds. Goten finally managed to break the cycle and land a kick against Trunks' shin, swiping his feet out from under him.

Goten then spun around, gained momentum, and slammed his palm into the sideways chest of Trunks. The strike sent Trunks barreling backwards, but caused little damage. Trunks quickly recovered and darted back at Goten.

"Time to step it up a notch," Trunks said as he let loose a flurry of energy blasts.

Goten fell back as each blast connected with him and erupted in violent explosions. Goten, unfazed, darted out of the smoke and struck Trunks in the stomach with his foot. The surprise on Trunks' face quickly washed away as he tumbled across the ring floor.

"I guess you were right," Goten said with a smile.

Trunks got to his feet wearing the same smile, "Well how about another notch then?" Trunks then threw his hands to his sides and erupted in golden light.

Goten quickly followed in suit and felt the warm feeling of Super Saiyan power flood into his veins. Goten then fell back into a fighting stance awaiting Trunks' next move.

Goten then stumbled back as Trunks closed the gap between them in an instant and began a barrage of strikes. Goten barely managed to block a better portion of them before returning with an uppercut.

Trunks unwillingly took to the air as the blow connected with his chin. Goten quickly followed him as an energy ball ignited in his right hand. Goten then whipped up in front of Trunks and launched the energy ball at him.

Seconds later an explosion rang out that sent Trunks rocketing horizontally through the air. In an instant Goten was behind Trunks driving his knee into his back. Trunks stopped in mid flight as Goten followed up his attack with a club to the chest.

Goten's arm passed right through Trunks' afterimage and the momentum carried him into the real Trunks' fist. Goten's head snapped back and soon his body was rocketing to the ground by another strike from Trunks.

Goten hit the ring feet first and propelled himself back into the air. Goten barely saw the surprise in Trunks' eyes before his fists crashed Trunks' chest. Trunks fell limp for a moment as the attack stunned him. Goten hastily took the opportunity and launched an energy ball into his stomach.

Trunks let out a yell as his weakened body took most of the damage from the attack. Goten then reared back his fist and prepared to strike. "You really want to win this don't you?" Trunks asked, hovering shakily in the air.

Goten paused for a moment. "I really do," Goten said, sincerity spilling off his words. Trunks then glanced up at Goten with a smile that Goten had only seen in the brightest of times.

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Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but anyway... that was the next chapter... drama and action all rolled into one. But don't change the channel just yet... the Garrick Saga is just warming up.


	8. Underlying Tension

Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while for those of you who like the story. Anywho, it's just now starting to heat up and I hope you all enjoy. Please read and review!

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Goten met Trunks head on with a dazzling array of kicks and punches. Trunks smiled brightly as he either deflected or dodged each one of them. "So what's the smile for?" Goten asked, going through the motions with each strike.

"Holding back so we can talk, eh Goten?" Trunks asked as he continued to easily dodge Goten's strikes. Trunks then caught Goten's fists in his palms and played a struggle. "This is for Laurel isn't it?" Trunks asked.

Goten gritted his teeth in mock struggle, but was truly biding time as he searched for an answer. Goten knew that Trunks was sensitive regarding the Laurel subject; if it wasn't for her this meeting wouldn't be holding so much astonishment. "Yeah, it is; and now, I don't know if she's going to wake up or not," Goten said, pouring as much sincere emotion out as he could.

Trunks surprisingly began sending knee strikes at Goten's stomach, but Goten managed to block them with strikes of his own. Goten looked into Trunks' eyes trying to find his anger, but quickly came up short. "Blast me," Trunks said, a gold aura suddenly igniting around him.

Goten wavered for a moment as Trunks' Super Saiyan force threatened to break his fingers, but Goten quickly returned the favor. He fiercely unleashed his Super Saiyan power and began to slowly overpower Trunks. "Just like that?" Goten asked.

Trunks smiled once again, "We're best friends; I think I can take a fall or two."

Goten nodded, but for a split second hesitated; Trunks hadn't come around for a full year, but was willing to give up the tournament for Goten… for Laurel. Goten finally snapped out of his momentary daze and shoved Trunks back.

Trunks reeled back from the surprising momentum and Goten launched an energy blast at him. The blast quickly connected, exploded, and sent Trunks soaring down towards the ring.

Goten watched as Trunks willingly let himself spiral towards the ground. Trunks had always been there for him and he had always been a great friend. Goten smiled; even as Trunks created a crater in the ground beside the ring… Goten smiled.

"That's a ring out, ladies and gentlemen! Goten is your winner!" The announcer called out, overcome with jubilant enthusiasm.

Goten descended down to the ring and met Trunks who was dusting himself off. "You don't know how much this means to me," Goten said with a smile, truly meaning every bit of what he had said.

"Anything for my best friend," Trunks said, suddenly closing in and hugging Goten. Returning the hug, Goten smiled and realized that everything was quickly returning to normal.

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Vegeta watched on as his son and Goten shared a ridiculous moment of male bonding. Vegeta, now completely irritated since the initial shock had passed, stepped to the window of his skybox.

Vegeta marveled at the skybox momentarily, if just to take his mind of the situation. He was glad Bulma had finally decided to rent it out. It served as a much better view than the seats in the audience.

"I can't believe it Vegeta… it's our son," Bulma said, sobbing next to him.

"Yes, he's back… and it appears as if he's a homosexual, too," Vegeta said, disgusted with Trunks' public display of male affection.

"You can be so cold hearted, Vegeta. He's our son! That, and the fact that him and Goten are best friends," Bulma said, her tears disappearing only to be replaced with an anger vein.

"It looks to me as if they've gone past the point of 'friends', woman," Vegeta barked and walked away from his temperamental wife. Vegeta glanced at the crowd in the skybox: Krillin, 18, Laurel, Chichi, Videl, Gohan, Tien, and Master Roshi. The entire crowd was huddled around the giant television that adorned the room, obviously fanatical over the return of the purple haired wonder.

Vegeta quickly exited the skybox and began making his way down the metal staircase before him. Truthfully, Vegeta had been filled with glee at the sight of Trunks. His one and only son meant a lot to him, but what he had done was inexcusable. A Saiyan isn't supposed to run from his problems. A Saiyan is supposed to stand his ground and crush the problem before him. Trunks had definitely brought shame to the Saiyan race with his antics and not to mention the royal bloodline. Vegeta seethed; just the thought of his royal lineage being defiled was more than enough to make him taste bile.

Vegeta finally made his way off the staircase and began to exit the stairwell when he came face to face with the defiler himself. Vegeta simply stared on with a cold, blank face as Trunks seemed to be too shocked to move.

"Um… Hi Dad," Trunks finally said, his words quaking.

"Like you even deserve to be my son," Vegeta said, scoffing at Trunks' informal greeting.

Although, to Vegeta's surprise, Trunks lit up with a bright smile. He then embraced Vegeta and squeezed him tightly. "I've missed you so much, Dad," Trunks said, emotionally.

Vegeta calmed himself and forced a reply to exit his lips. The reply, however, wasn't what Vegeta had intended, "I've… missed you too… son."

"Now that's touching," Goten said, suddenly coming up from behind them.

Vegeta quickly shoved Trunks off and gave Goten a cold look of annoyance, "That'll be the last time you catch me displaying any type of affection. A Saiyan only demeans himself every time he's anything less than a stoic warrior."

Goten just laughed, "Wow, I guess that means you're the only real Saiyan left then."

Vegeta growled at the unruly comment, "Just get up to the skybox. Everyone is waiting for the arrival of 'Emotional Man' and the 'Purple Haired Wonder'."

"Your sense of humor is priceless Vegeta," Goten said as he took a few steps up the stairs.

Vegeta watched as Trunks stopped before the first step and glanced over, "You're not coming?"

Vegeta smirked and blasted out a whole hearted 'ha'. "You really think I want to be in their when every woman starts sobbing uncontrollably? Just the thought of it is gut wrenching," Vegeta remarked and once again began his walk to the exit of the stairwell.

Vegeta paused for a moment at the door until he could sense Trunks moving up the staircase. Finally, when Trunks was at least fifteen steps up, Vegeta pushed the door open and stepped out into the basking glow of the sun.

Vegeta glanced up into the sky, "Not even a prince can figure out what's been going on lately. What I wouldn't give to have my tail back right now." Vegeta then sighed as thoughts of the old life began to flood his mind. The days when all he had to worry about was which planet was going to be more fun. All he had to worry about was himself… and how much stronger he was than everyone else.

Then, much to Vegeta's dismay, Kakarot entered the picture. That irresponsible buffoon managed to foil his attempt at destroying the earth, become stronger than him, and do the one thing that Vegeta had always fancied doing himself… destroy Frieza.

Vegeta cursed under his breath at the last thought and finally continued his walking. He really didn't know where he was going, but hopefully it would take his mind off of anything and everything.

Vegeta then sensed it; a tiny, miniscule energy source jetting towards him at flight speed. Vegeta glanced back just a centimeter only to find himself staring at empty space. Vegeta then, without even thinking, spun around and snatched the energy straight out of the air.

Vegeta then glanced down at his palm and found the energy's source: a small mechanical device that resembled a tick. Vegeta then watched as the tick scurried around in his hand and bent its mechanical legs for a takeoff. Vegeta quickly formed a small energy ball in his hand and disintegrated the metal insect instantly.

"Only an idiot couldn't have sensed you coming a mile away," Vegeta spoke to the now nonexistent tick.

Vegeta shook his head in annoyance and turned to walk towards the marketing alley when a thundering voice began echoing throughout the air. "It is now time for the semi-finals of the tournament! Could I please see Goten and Laurel to the ring!" The voice cried out.

Vegeta smirked with a curious pleasure beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. He quickly turned to walk back to the stairwell… knowing that this fight would be all too interesting.

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Laurel rose from the position on her back with a bead of sweat streaming down to his brow. Laurel glanced around at her surroundings: she was in a bed in a dark room… she was alone.

Laurel quickly left the bed and walked to what she made out to be a door. Suddenly, the door swung open and Goten stood before her. "I've got good news and bad news," Goten said, almost oblivious to the fact that everything was strangely out of place.

"Wait, where am I?" Laurel asked, confused. The last thing she could remember was leaving the tent and… that's it. Nothing else came to mind at all when she tried to recollect her memories.

Goten said and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. "You passed out… no biggie," Goten said and put his arms around Laurel.

Laurel smiled as she felt his touch and suddenly where or how didn't matter anymore. She knew she was safe when she was with Goten. "I love you," Laurel said, locking her lips with Goten's.

Goten quickly, passionately, returned the favor as Laurel felt herself slip deep into curious excitement. Laurel, slowly, pulled Goten closer to the bed that she had just left, the thoughts of whatever news he had drifting away.

Laurel hit the edge of the bed and collapsed against it; Goten on top of her. Laurel ran her hands along the smooth, bulging definition of Goten's muscle and sighed with a smile as Goten began caressing her earlobe with his tongue.

Laurel began to feel her hormones purging to the surface and couldn't help but let a small moan escape from her lips. She then found herself reaching down for Goten's lower extremities; she bit her lip in anticipation as her hand made its way to his manhood.

Goten then shifted uneasily, "Wait, we don't have time."

Laurel was suddenly sucked back to reality as Goten's word sank in. "Why? What's going on?" Laurel asked, now remembering that she was completely lost.

"The good news is that Trunks is back," Goten said, but hinted that there was more.

"Trunks!? Really!?" Laurel almost yelled; unable to contain her excitement.

Goten seemed to shift uneasily again as he lifted up off of her; did she offend him with her comment. "Yeah, he's back," Goten commented, almost sadly.

Laurel frowned, but pushed the thought aside. "You mentioned earlier that there's bad news," Laurel said.

Goten began a slow walked to the door, "The first match of the semi-finals is coming up."

Laurel frowned was again, but this time in confusion. "How is that bad?"

"Well, you're in the match," Goten said, apprehensively.

"That's awesome!" Laurel exclaimed. Why was Goten so troubled over it; who was her opponent? "Who am I fighting against? Is it one of us?" Laurel asked.

"Yeah… it's me."

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Bobidi, Janemba, he reminded himself, sat at the view window that adorned the front of the ship. They had just left Santos IV and had only managed to recruit sixteen fighters before ravaging the planet.

Frieza kept his gaze out the window as he stayed leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "The power we sensed was unlike any other. I believe you share the same notion?" Frieza asked, his gaze finally tearing away from the emptiness of space.

Janemba frowned in frustration; the power he had sensed was extraordinary. Though, the power paled in comparison to his, it could very well become a threat. Goku had now been missing for some time and if it was him…

"Even I am stronger than elusive power we came across. While it was notable… it's nothing to worry about," Frieza said, a smirk dimming his facial features.

"Always remember you have me to thank for that," Janemba said. Bobidi, before fusing with Janemba's soul and body, had resurrected Frieza from the depths while simultaneously granting him extreme amounts of power. Janemba would've regretted the decision had he not placed his mind control over Frieza immediately. Janemba glanced over at Frieza, glaring at the Majin 'M' on his forehead with a smile.

"I will always be grateful for that, Master," Frieza replied.

"Still, let's not waiver from the topic at hand; what if the power we sensed was Goku?" Janemba said, already knowing the answer. Although, for some reason he desired confirmation from a beast that had pioneered the military strategy known as planet devouring.

"Then the time to strike will soon be upon us," Frieza said, though his words sounded a bit shaky.

"I sense your hesitance, my general. Perhaps striking Earth with only two hundred fighters at our helm isn't a wise choice," Janemba suggested, though suggesting anything was merely his way of letting Frieza believe he had any sort of say in the matter.

"Those damn monkeys have become a far greater nuisance than we anticipated. We risk losing the battle no matter when we strike," Frieza said, his words oozing with despair. Janemba knew that the conclusion was killing Frieza inside. He was once the emperor of the universe; the strongest being alive. Now, he was nothing more than a mere pawn in an intergalactic chess game.

"It's settled then; we shall strike when our army exceeds a number no less than one thousand fighters," Janemba said, knowing that Frieza would disagree.

"What!? One thousand?!" That could take years!" Frieza yelled his protest, his tone far exceeding what Janemba was willing to tolerate.

Janemba calmly raised his right hand and began to focus his ki into it. "I do believe I am correct in the matter," Janemba said.

Frieza immediately digressed; bowing his defeat. "I'm sorry for disagreeing, sir. It wasn't me, but my years of experience talking," Frieza said, still in a bow.

Janemba rolled his eyes at the slick comment Frieza passed as an apology. "I'll let it slide for now… as you personally will be leading the raid on Pepperdine," Janemba said.

Frieza quickly fell out of his bow and glared at Janemba in a fit of rage… or was it fear? "That planet is home to at least a hundred of the strongest fighters in the galaxy. Each one maybe stronger than that of a Super Saiyan 2!" Frieza argued.

"You can destroy planets with a mere ki blast, my dear general. Use the tactics you know so well and they will come quietly," Janemba said, now turning his back to the pale warlord. "Now, ready yourself and few of the troops. We shall be at the planet in a matter of hours."

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Wow, exciting. I wonder what's gonna happen during the semi finals. Is Goten going to let his Saiyan insticts take over... or his love for Laurel? With that said, who is this strange power somewhere out their in the galaxy? Could Goku really be returning? Find out next time on... Dragonball E/U!


	9. The Disciples

Just to let everyone know... I've changed my writing style. Now, instead of just concentrating on one person's thoughts on a situation at a time I have incorporated everyone's all the time. I've been reading more and more fics lately and it seems that this is how it is always done. So I have taken my crack at it, tell me if it worked out or not.

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Gohan felt it like a lightning fast tsunami. The pain quickly enveloped his senses and drove him to the ground. Gohan tensed up and tried desperately to fight the pain off. Blips of golden light sparked from his trembling body as he arduously tried to keep hold of his consciousness.

Gohan gritted his teeth in agony as the pain began to wrap itself around his entire body… quickly beginning to force him into submission. Gohan tried desperately to cling to life as thoughts of Videl and his unborn child flooded his throbbing mind; his wife, his unborn daughter… his Pan. They were going to name the baby Pan and it was going to be a glorious day.

Gohan smiled as he dreamt of the day… all he had to do was hold on, but holding on was his last thought. The last wave of consciousness that entered his mind was a barrage of symbolic images; each one trying its best to keep Gohan from drifting away. Gohan quickly collapsed against the floor beside the stairwell, slowly drifting away from the symbols that seemed to be no more.

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Goten stood in the ring; the thousands of people in attendance rallying behind the match-up with thunderous applause. He slowly looked over the audience, his surroundings, and his eyes finally settled on Laurel. He was going to do it; he was finally going to propose to her.

The idea had come to him as they were fooling around before the match. Each moment he looked into her eyes and became lost… he realized that he had to propose soon. It had become more than just a want; it had become a physical need. A desire that had begun to physically pain him with each passing moment he didn't perform the deed.

"Begin!" The announcer yelled from ringside and Goten saw Laurel immediately fall into a fighting stance. Goten knew that Laurel wanted to take this fight seriously, but it just wouldn't happen.

Laurel held herself at the ready, but found herself trembling. This moment was too confusing for her. The match could go either way; it could create sour feelings… or bring them both to a new level of understanding.

Laurel broke away from her thoughts and gazed at Goten… only, he was just standing there. Laurel quizzically cocked her head to the side; Goten's reasoning eluding her.

Goten sighed… and decided that it was truly time to do it. He began walking towards Laurel and noticed that with every step she became even more uneasy. Goten finally reached her and stared deep into her eyes.

Laurel stared back, but had no idea what Goten was thinking. Finally, she fell out of her fighting stance, "Goten, what you are doing?"

Goten smiled confidently at Laurel and slowly fell down to one knee. He slid a small black box out of his pocket and glanced up at Laurel. Her face brightened as he saw her eyes drift down to the box.

Laurel could barely contain herself; so many emotions were swirling around in her head. She knew what she wanted, but through all the commotion she wouldn't be able to find the word.

Goten looked up at her and could feel his eyes beginning to water as he opened the box. He then took a deep breathe and smiled warmly at her. "Laurel Marie Rich, will you marry me?" Goten asked, the short question almost draining him of every bit of oxygen in his lungs.

Laurel opened to her mouth to answer; to accept Goten's proposal and become his wife, but nothing came out. Suddenly, a pain cringed inside of her neck, wrapping itself and her spine. Laurel did her best contain it with a smile, but she knew Goten could see through the façade.

"Baby?" Goten spoke, urging Laurel to answer the question he had so roughly brought to the surface. Goten's lip trembled as he watched her facial expressions… which sadly appeared to be battling for an answer.

Laurel's smile finally broke away and was quickly replaced by a thin, demeaning line. "No," Laurel replied harshly. Laurel reeled on the inside, but her body didn't reflect her emotions. What had she done? She couldn't control was she had said, though. What was going on?

Goten's eyes widened in surprise, horrific surprise, as the word left Laurel's lips. Then, to toss salt on the wound, Laurel struck Goten with a stiff kick to the jaw. Goten immediately launched backwards into the air, but managed to settle himself on the edge of the ring.

"Why?" Goten mumbled the question to himself. Goten, unfazed by the kick, was focused more so on the fact that Laurel had said 'no'. What was going on? Goten glanced back up at Laurel who had now begun to strut in his direction. Goten looked away, quickly trying to gather his thoughts. It had to be another form of mind control; she'd never willingly so no… right?

"Get to your feet, Saiyan," Laurel said, standing over him.

Goten rose to his feet and looked down at her, a tear trickling down his cheek. "Why are you doing this?" Goten asked, his heart now shattered into a million pieces.

"For Garrick," Laurel said and slammed her hands into Goten's chest. Laurel tried so desperately to stop and to tell Goten what was going on, but her body was responding… and it was bringing back memories. Laurel then watched, as if through someone else's eyes, as Goten flew out of the ring and into the brick wall surrounding the grassy area.

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Vegeta stood at the large window of the skybox, his mind quickly trying to put together the pieces. Everyone else in the room also stood at the window; the expressions on their faces indicating that they were doing the same thing.

"What's going on down there?" Trunks asked, his mind quickly trying to put the put together the facts. Goten was obviously proposing, but Laurel didn't seem to take to it too well.

"Stupid brats," Vegeta mumbled and was about to leave the skybox when a thunderous explosion sounded out in the distance. Vegeta suddenly sensed a giant increase in ki coming from the medical building.

"I felt it too," Trunks said, as he was the only other person in the room who could effectively sense ki. It was a big burst, but not enough to be considered a true threat.

"Once again the tournament is ruined. I only have so much patience," Vegeta remarked and leaped through the window in front of him. Vegeta then hovered in the air and glanced out at the medical building. Vegeta reeled at what he saw; Krillin hovering above a crumbling building. "What in Kami's sake are you doing!?" Vegeta yelled out.

"Silence, you worthless Saiyan!" Krillin yelled out and formed a giant disc of energy.

Vegeta staggered back with a look of disgust on his face. "How dare you demean my race!" Vegeta yelled out, his temper boiling over. Vegeta prepared to launch himself forward at the pathetic human when the energy disc began its b-line straight for him. Vegeta quickly flipped back… letting the disc zip right over him.

Vegeta then turned and watched the disc as it made a last ditch effort to turn and decimate its target. Vegeta readied himself to maneuver, but also realized too late that the energy disc wasn't even going to make its reverse. Vegeta cringed as the disc plowed through section of the audience and crashed into the ground; exploding upon impact.

Vegeta turned, his newfound appreciation for the people on this planet getting the better of him, and clenched his fists. "What is your problem, queue ball?" Vegeta yelled out, wanting an answer as to why shit had quickly begun to go haywire.

"I must rid this planet of its Saiyan inhabitants… for Garrick!" Krillin yelled and launched forward.

Vegeta caught Krillin's fists in vice grips as he reached him and held him in place. "Have you gone insane?" Vegeta asked, completely irate at Krillin's actions. "What will your wife think of this?" Vegeta asked, only his second question of many.

"If only she still had a mind to think with. Well, if only she still had _anything _above her shoulders," Krillin said with a smirk.

"You'll end up that way too if you don't watch out, Vegeta," Gohan said, now at Vegeta's side.

"What's gotten into the both of you?" Vegeta wondered aloud, glancing nervously between the both of them.

"The intentions of Garrick have shown us the way," Gohan answered, clenching his fists.

Vegeta smirked and crushed Krillin's fists in his palms, "And here I was thinking that you turned over a new leaf." Vegeta then drove his knee into Krillin's stomach, sending him spiraling towards the ground below. Vegeta then turned just in time to ward off a striking Gohan with a backhand.

"Vegeta, what are you doing!?" Bulma yelled from the skybox. Bulma then glanced out at the audience where Krillin's energy disc had struck it. A large gash now adorned the stadium seating… amidst dozens of dismembered bodies.

Vegeta saw Bulma's wandering eye and took the opportunity to elaborate. "They've gone completely mad! Krillin has murdered his wife and they both keep babbling about some Garrick imbecile. So if you don't mind… I'd like to kill first and ask questions later!" Vegeta yelled out and powered up an energy blast.

"Vegeta, don't!" Bulma yelled.

Vegeta glanced down to Bulma, but was then struck in the side of the head. Vegeta glanced to the side and saw Laurel floating next to him… retracting right leg. "You _will_ regret that," Vegeta said and struck her hard in the jaw. The strike launched her to the ground and would hopefully keep her out of the way for a moment.

"Goten, get up here… now!" Vegeta yelled out while keeping a close eye on his surroundings. His three attackers had seemingly disappeared and the arena was quickly being evacuated.

Suddenly, Trunks showed up at Vegeta's side… his sword now attached to his back. "Looks like you could use some help," Trunks said, his eyes searching the ground below. He had no clue what was going on, but wasn't going to wait around for more innocent people to get hurt.

Vegeta smirked at his son's enthusiasm, but thought that the sword might be a little over kill. "Well, I guess cutting them in to pieces isn't such a bad idea," Vegeta remarked as Goten finally joined them.

"It's a last resort," Trunks said in return. He does always jumped to the dark side of things.

"Good, now that we are all here… we leave," Vegeta said, beginning to rise higher into the air.

"You're running away?" Goten said, almost gasping. He had never known Vegeta to be one to retreat.

"No, you idiot! Krillin said something about our fine race and we just happen to be the last one's left. Let's lead them away from civilization, shall we?" Vegeta explained his plan. He'd get them out to the countryside where he could finally talk some sense into them… or beat some sense into them. He smirked as he found the latter to be a little more intriguing.

"Why are they doing this anyway?" Goten asked, beginning to follow Vegeta.

"I don't know, but maybe we can hold them off until this Garrick fellow shows up. Then we'll _kill_ the answers out of him," Vegeta answered, blasting off into the sky.


	10. The Followers

I feel like this is the best chapter I've written so far. Please review if you like it... please review if you dont. But try to enjoy it none the less.

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Vegeta settled to the ground along with Goten and Trunks; he scanned the distance… waiting for a sign from Gohan, Krillin, and Laurel. "If they truly are looking to exterminate the Saiyans… they'll come for us," Vegeta said, still waiting for a sign from the infected three.

Goten frowned as he too scanned the horizon. He was relieved in a strange sort of way when he had learned that it was another type of mind control, but on the other hand… why did it have to happen again? This time, it was during the most important moment of his entire life.

Trunks cracked his neck from side and side glanced over at his two allies. "At least, it will be a fair fight when they show up," Trunks remarked. He kind of hoped that they wouldn't show up and that maybe it would be a dream.

"If they show up; knowing those cowards… we'll probably be sitting here for the afternoon while they slaughter the masses," Vegeta replied to his son, a confident smirk on his face.

Goten cringed at Vegeta's words. "That's my brother… _and_ my girlfriend you're talking about," Goten said, his voice almost reaching a yell.

"Spare me the theatrics, boy. They're our enemies until _I_ decide otherwise," Vegeta said, his declaration almost like a barking of orders. Vegeta then sensed, well almost anyway, three weak power levels heading towards them.

Trunks and Goten quickly snapped their attention to the horizon ahead. "They're coming," Goten said, readying himself.

"I'll handle Gohan… he'll be the strongest. You two can play rock paper scissors for the other two," Vegeta said sarcastically, his trademark smirk adorning his lips.

"Don't you think this situation calls for a bit more than sarcasm, father?" Trunks asked. Trunks hated it when his father took battle lightly… especially when it dealt with their friends.

"No… I don't. I think this is ridiculous. They could've chosen better fighters than those three," Vegeta said, but as the words left his lips a memory came to him. He remembered the small tick like mechanism he had crushed earlier in the day. The one that had tried to bury itself in him. They weren't just trying to choose the best fighters; they were trying to choose everyone.

Suddenly, almost appearing out of nowhere, Gohan, Krillin, and Laurel settled down in front of them. "Happy now?" Gohan asked, sarcastically; Krillin and Laurel then settled into their fighting stances.

Vegeta traded glances with the three of them; a smirk still molding his lips. "You have absolutely no chance of winning. You'll be dead before Garrick even arrives," Vegeta remarked. Vegeta knew something else was going on; all he had to do was dig it out of them.

Gohan's face lit up with anger, but only for a moment. He quickly subsided his momentary rage and replaced it with a faint chuckle. "Poor Vegeta, you have no idea. It wasn't just us that was blessed with Garrick's divine plan… the entire world is in the middle of becoming a whole… for Garrick," Gohan explained, a sly smile adorning his lips during every word.

Vegeta gasped; he had known something like this was bound to happen, but to actually hear it stated as a fact was bewildering. "I could blow this planet up with one blast. Why should I be afraid?" Vegeta bluffed. He really could blow the planet away, but it wasn't about physicality… it was about mentality.

"Because you won't do it, Vegeta. That's why you should be afraid," Laurel chimed in, her gaze burning through Vegeta.

Goten glanced over at Trunks, his heart sinking with every passing moment. No matter what, their families were in danger. If Vegeta didn't blow the planet away or if it was left intact; either way, it was bad news. "_Trunks_," Goten whispered, making sure to hide his actions behind Vegeta.

"_I know… we have to go back and save everyone_," Trunks whispered back. Their families were still back at the arena and there was no telling what could be going on back there.

"I'm sure it's too late for that, Trunks," Gohan called out to Trunks.

Vegeta reeled on the inside, Trunks was right; he had to go back for them. If he were to lose Bulma or Alexia to this… people would pay, dearly. "You two fly to the lookout and I'll go back," Vegeta explained. Vegeta then glanced back sternly as to ward off any arguments. He quickly got two confirmation nods and turned back when he saw them blasting off.

Laurel and Krillin began to blast off as well, but Gohan stopped them. "Don't follow them… they are of no threat to us. We must deal with Vegeta before Garrick gets here," Gohan said, his gaze now falling on Vegeta.

"Well, I'm glad you've finally recognized who you're dealing with. Now, who will I be dismembering first?" Vegeta asked devilishly, while falling back into his fighting stance.

Gohan then laughed and shook his head. "Oh… did I say us? I meant… them," Gohan explained and pointed into the sky behind him.

Vegeta glanced up and quickly became awestruck at the sight. In the sky, storming towards Vegeta, were swarms of the mechanical ticks reminiscent of the one Vegeta smashed earlier.

"Too bad there's only a few left after the initial swarming of the nearby cities," Gohan remarked, staring at them as if they were the essence of beauty.

Vegeta grimaced at Gohan's words; the few he spoke of easily numbered in the thousands. Vegeta quickly powered up and shot off backwards, away from the swarms. He had to escape… he had to save Alexia… he had to save Bulma.

Vegeta quickly pushed off the ground and into the sky; firing multiple energy blasts where he had just been. A group of the mechanical ticks were engulfed in the explosions and incinerated immediately. Vegeta quickly ascended higher into the sky while making sure to keep tabs on the robots below. All he had to do was get them all under him… before they could swallow him whole.

"You can't win, Vegeta!" Gohan yelled from the ground below, obviously amused of the events transpiring.

"I'll show you what I can do!" Vegeta yelled back and pulled his arms to one side. Then, mustering huge amounts of ki into his palms, he thrust his hands forward. "Gallick Gun!" Vegeta yelled and unleashed a giant beam of purple energy. The beam ripped through the swarms of robotic insects and connected with the ground below. The ensuing explosion ascended into the air and engulfed any stray robotics.

Vegeta slowed to a stop high in the air. He didn't even have to break a sweat; they're little swarm was everything but menacing. "Anything else up your sleeve, brat?" Vegeta asked, his confident tone accompanied by a devilish smirk.

"You two go to West City and await our leader," Gohan said to Laurel and Krillin. "I shall deal with this scum myself," Gohan said, now glaring in Vegeta's direction.

"Scum?! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? I am your Prince and I will be treated as such!" Vegeta yelled out, his anger pumping new Super Saiyan energy through his blood. Gold light irradiated from his body and whipped out like a flame.

"You'll die!" Gohan yelled as golden energy spilled forth from his body. Gohan then launched off at Vegeta, covering the distance between them within seconds. They collided in a dazzling array of energy and strikes. Bouts of sparkling energy erupted from the ki collision as the two most powerful warriors on Earth worked to destroy each other.

Vegeta dodged and blocked each of Gohan's strike, but every time he struck back… Gohan returned the favor. "Only weaklings are submissive to mind control," Vegeta said in between strikes, trying to lure the real Gohan to the surface.

Gohan seethed a powerfully struck out at Vegeta. The punch missed by a mere centimeter and Vegeta used the misjudgment to his advantage. He locked his fingers around Gohan's wrist and whipped him into a chokehold.

"Vegeta… even if you do beat me… there are others," Gohan said through gasping breaths.

"That's what those brats are working on. Pretty soon, your whole operation will crumble beneath you," Vegeta retorted. Vegeta only hoped that Goten and Trunks would find a way to solve the problem. Vegeta would surely fight to the death, but with it being him against everyone… death might come sooner rather than later.

"There's not enough time. Uub, Majin Buu, Hercule, Videl… all of them at Garrick's will. Even your wife… her genius will come in handy," Gohan explained, still gasping. Although, with his last words he managed to laugh.

Vegeta seethed on the inside; loathing everything about Gohan… even though none of this was his fault. Vegeta cringed… it was his own fault. He didn't have the presence of mind to warn anyone of his encounter with the mind control device.

"Well, are we… just going to… stand around all day?" Gohan asked, his voice becoming weaker.

"No, you're leaving… in a body bag," Vegeta responded with a smirk. Vegeta then released Gohan and pushed him back. Unable to control his rage, his unrivaled anger for the situation, he thrust his hands forward pushed as much ki into then as he could.

"Do you're worst, Saiyan!" Gohan yelled with a smile.

"Die, traitor!" Vegeta returned, and unleashed the energy in his hands. Dozens of energy beams lanced out to Gohan, one after another. Each one quickly met its target and exploded in a rage of fire and energy.

Finally, Vegeta let his arms fall to his sides as Gohan fell from the sky. Vegeta watched as Gohan's, at least unconscious, body fell to the ground below. It didn't matter if he was dead; Vegeta just needed time to get to Bulma. He would beat the answers out of Garrick later. This, from Gohan's talk, wouldn't exactly be too much later.

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Trunks landed atop the lookout and immediately sensed a high power to his left. As Goten landed behind him, Trunks glanced over and found a pleasant surprise waiting for him. He saw Parlen, Bulma, and Chichi conversing with each other. Parlen was the only one with any composure as Bulma and Chichi were devastated.

Goten looked over and saw his mother… it was a wonderful sight. It was at least one hopeful moment within this whole, dreary dark, mess. Goten quickly rushed over and slid down beside her… his arms immediately embracing her.

Chichi jerked away at first, but soon after noticing it was Goten… she broke down. She had hoped that at least someone would make it out of this mess and she was glad it was Goten. "Oh Goten, everything is upside down," Chichi said, barely managing it through broken sobs.

Goten cringed at the sight of his mother acting this way. Even at this age… he didn't want to know that his mother could rattle _this_ easily. "It's okay Mom. Everything will be okay… Vegeta is going to handle everything," Goten reassured his mother.

"Vegeta better fix everything! He better get our baby back!" Bulma shouted out. She was still in the sky box when everything really went haywire. Swarms of some type of miniature robotics had come in out of nowhere and suddenly the crowd began dropping like flies. Bulma didn't know what to do; with all her genius, with every time she's acted like she knows everything, it all fleeted from her in an instant. She needed Vegeta… he was really her backbone. Well, when it came to things like this. Other times… she was gung ho and ready for anything.

"Goten, you stay here with them. Parlen you come with me," Trunks said, finally making it to the foursome.

"Where am I going?" Parlen asked, almost as if she was defying him.

"We're going to West City to take on this Garrick guy. Once he's out of the picture… everything will be a lot easier," Trunks said, preparing to walk off.

Suddenly, Dende's voice was heard crying out to them in the background. Trunks turned to see Dende running towards him. "Yes, Dende?" Trunks asked, hoping to speed up the process.

Dende slowed to a stop beside them, his heart was racing. What he had found in the archives was terrifying. "This Garrick that you speak of… just the two of you cannot face him," Dende explained. "I delved into the archives and found the worst news. Garrick is not a person… he's a planet. Well, he has the ability to transform into a being reminiscent of a human, but essentially… he has the power of an entire planet.

"Wait, he can just take shape and survive in the vacuum of space?" Bulma asked from her placed on the lookout floor.

"If the archives are correct… then yes, he can. He can transform into any form… or submerse himself inside the form of another," Dende finished. He sincerely hoped that Trunks would listen and concede to a retreat. It would take Vegeta's power, Gotenk's power, and ten more powers like it to defeat Garrick.

"I don't care… I'm still going. Come on Parlen… it's time to be a hero," Trunks said and launched off the side of the lookout. As he fell, he glanced up and saw Parlen following him. With a smirk, Trunks sped up and flew in the direction of West City, hoping he could arrive before Garrick did.

Goten watched as Trunks left the lookout and as Parlen, almost reluctantly, followed him. Goten then turned back towards Bulma and chichi, their sob-ridden faces making him turn away.

"Where is Vegeta, anyway?" Bulma asked, angry at the fact that she wasn't saved by him. She had to remind herself that she was, though. He's the one who led Gohan and the others away from the arena.

Goten's eyes widened as the question finally sparked inside Goten's head. "Oh crap, he's out looking for you," Goten said, rushing to his feet. He had to find Vegeta and tell him that Bulma was okay.

"You can't leave! What if _they_ come up here?" Chichi screamed out, clutching at her son's leg. She couldn't just let her only son leave and possibly get killed.

"But Vegeta needs to know that Alexia is missing!" Bulma cried out, trying to reason with Chichi. If Goten didn't go warn Vegeta... then there was no telling where her baby would end up.

Goten looked out at the edge of the lookout; his head a complete wreck. He had no idea what to do; if he left... they could die, and if he stayed... Vegeta, Trunks, Alexia... everyone would die. Goten stood... now knowing what he had to do. "I'll be back, mother. I have to do this," Goten said, running towards the edge. His mother's screams became fleeting echoes in the back of his mind as he dove over the side and accelerated down to the earth. Everything rested on whether they were going to be able to beat Garrick or not... and for that... he had to round up Vegeta. Their combined efforts... would be the only way.


	11. Garrick's Arrival

I had a lotta fun writing this chapter... oh... you'll see!! Teeheehee. Sorry... anyway, i am so inspired by Vegamarie's story "Men Suck" I decided to put a little bitty informative piece in there dealing with it. Thanks for your support Vegamarie.

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Vegeta carefully soared above the World Martial Arts district, but managed to draw attention anyway. The weaklings, the earthlings with no control over there ki, yelled at him from the ground below. They could tell; they knew that he wasn't one of them. How they knew… that was something for Bulma to find out.

Vegeta finally reached the skybox and soared in through the already destroyed view window. "Looks like this could be my handy work," Vegeta muttered to himself as he glanced around the room. Pieces of sheetrock had been ripped from the walls, the chairs were in pieces, and the television set was gone. Vegeta sighed, the television wasn't the only thing missing; his family was, too.

"Bulma, Alexia… I will find you!" Vegeta yelled out, his anger getting the best of him. Vegeta then launched up and through the ceiling of the skybox. Pieces of the roof rained down around him as he came to a stop in midair.

Vegeta couldn't move at first; he was paralyzed with shock at how the time had already come. Vegeta watched the giant ship that had now entered the atmosphere as it hovered down closer and closer to where he was. "Garrick," Vegeta said to himself behind gritted teeth. Vegeta felt his anger boil to a new level as he watched the ship land in West City; crushing the skyscrapers at it settled to the ground without a care. Vegeta curled his fists and felt his veins flood with rage for the unseen mastermind. The bastard would not live past today.

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Trunks and Parlen waited, crouched behind rubble, for the spaceship to open. Trunks had never seen anything like it, even with his mom being the head of Capsule Corp. Trunks then instinctively crouched farther down as he saw Krillin, Gohan, and Laurel walk to the spaceship; which now had an opening.

"This is… unbelievable," Parlen whispered, awestruck. She watched a platform extended from the ship and slammed into the ground. Gohan, Laurel, and Krillin… Trunk's friends… each walked to the platform and knelt down in front of it. Then, the long awaited moment came, and someone stepped from the doorway. He looked just like a human: he had black hair, large muscles, a cute face, and wore clothes much like Gohan's.

Trunks gasped as, who he knew, was Garrick stepped from the ship, but it wasn't Garrick… it was Goku. Dende was right when he said that Garrick could take the form of anything or become one with another. "I don't believe it," Trunks mumbled in terror.

"I know… it's Garrick," Parlen said, watching the man nod to each of his disciples.

"No Parlen… well, yeah it's Garrick, but that's also Goku," Trunks said through gasps… as this dreadful surprise had whisked away the oxygen from his lungs.

"What Dende said… damn it!" Parlen said, striking the rubble in front of her.

Trunks flattened himself on the ground as he saw their heads turn this way. He then waited for a moment, while making sure to suppress all his ki, but nothing happened. Then, he heard them talking.

"I have come by myself… as I have no one else," Garrick said, speaking the truth. He was alone on his planet… as he was the planet. "I made sure to claim my disciples and my legions before I set foot here," Garrick finished.

"We are forever at your service, master," Gohan said, bowing to Garrick.

"You have what I told you to collect?" Garrick asked of Gohan. This item, or person, would be a great help in the years to come.

Gohan nodded and turned to someone standing behind him… who was holding Alexia. "I don't see why she is important, but we did manage to steal her away from Bulma," Gohan said, taking the baby and handing it to Garrick.

Trunks seethed on the inside; he'd never let them hurt a hair on her head. Trunks leapt over the rubble in a fit of rage and fell into a fighting stance. "Hand her over!" Trunks yelled, nodding to Alexia.

Parlen was taken aback by Trunks actions, but joined him nonetheless. She stood beside him in her own fighting stance; the deadliest of expressions adorning her face.

Garrick was amused; a mere boy with such a low power level confronting him. He laughed as he sensed the girl's power; she was even stronger than the boy. Then Garrick raised an eyebrow as he searched through Goku's memory banks; it was Vegeta's son… Trunks. "Why, is she yours?" Garrick asked in a mocking tone.

"Do what you want with Goku's body; I'll fix that problem later. Just leave my sister out of this," Trunks demanded, rage coursing through his veins. He could usually remain calm in these types of situations, but this guy had gone too far and didn't give a damn when he did it.

"It's weird; two other people could say the same thing," Garrick said, further more delving into Goku's memory.

Trunks eyes widened as his mind skimmed over conclusions in his head. His quick mind shot back to when Goku had gone to rescue his mother, but it couldn't be true. "You're lying," Trunks said, knowing that it was a bluff.

"Of course I'm not. Why else would this infant be of such value?" Garrick asked rhetorically as Alexia began to cry. Garrick rolled his eyes and handed the baby to Gohan. "When true Saiyan's mate… they have to go through a special bonding process. That process, once completed, increases the power of the two Saiyan's dramatically," Garrick said and stopped to catch his breath.

"That has nothing to do with Alexia. Give her back!" Trunks said, reaching back for his sword.

"Let me finish, boy. Alexia was born of your mother and Goku… each one had previously participated in a Saiyan bonding ritual. This, forbidden love, has created an offspring of unsurpassable power. Even this dear Super Human here couldn't hope to achieve such power," Garrick explained, resting his hand on Laurel's shoulder. Laurel smiled, as if pleased with what Garrick was saying.

Trunks looked away from Garrick, Goku, ashamed that he had called Alexia his sister. His mother had betrayed their family to have that child. It didn't matter, though. Alexia was his sister and he wanted her back. "She's not yours!" Trunks said and lashed forward.

Parlen's eyes went wide as she watched Trunks unsheathe his sword and launch forward at Garrick. She reached out to stop him, but it was no use… he was too fast. Even Parlen, with her minimal amount of training, could sense how powerful Garrick was.

Trunks quickly reached Garrick and brought his sword down. Trunks smiled as he knew he had caught Garrick off-guard. The sword quickly found it's mark atop Garrick's head, but stopped dead in its tracks.

Garrick watched as his defensive barrier went up and stopped the sword centimeters before it reached him. "I'm part machine… my defenses defy possibility," Garrick slyly informed Trunks and threw his fist out. The strike connected with Trunks' abdomen and propelled him backwards.

Trunks crashed through a concrete wall of rubble and skidded to a stop. He quickly picked himself up, ignoring his throbbing stomach. "You'll have to do better than that," Trunks said, smiling.

"Why? You're power level is pathetic," Garrick laughed and pulled back into a fighting stance.

Trunks just smiled and quickly unleashed his pent up energy. Gold lashes of energy quickly spilt forth from his body and surrounded the area around him. "How about now?" Trunks asked, displaying his Super Saiyan form.

Garrick was taken aback, but only for a moment. He hadn't expected the boy to have so much power, but it was still only a fraction of his own. "I can do better," Garrick said and powered up to a Super Saiyan 2. Golden light illuminated the area and threatened to blow away Krillin and Laurel.

Trunks reeled back, mentally, from the onslaught of Garrick's power. He had known Goku was powerful, but it seemed that with Garrick's added power… it was just too much. "Try me, you pathetic excuse for a body snatcher," Trunks said, taunting the beast.

Garrick smiled at the comment and glanced over his own body, "Hmm… I thought I did pretty well in snatching this body in particular." Garrick then glanced at Krillin and Laurel, "You two, take on the girl. Gohan, go find that nuisance Vegeta and dispose of him." Garrick received simultaneous nods from his three disciples. Gohan quickly dispersed into the air and the other two stared down the girl.

Parlen watched as Krillin and Laurel stepped closer to her. She was stronger than either one of them alone, but together… it'd be tough. Parlen then shot back and into the air hoping to draw their attention. It worked, as Krillin and Laurel both darted up after her.

Trunks watched Parlen, Krillin, and Laurel disappear into the sky. Trunks then returned his attention to Garrick, but quickly lost his courage as he saw the massive population of West City slowly rounding the ship.

Garrick sensed his followers coming, but truly had no need for them. He quickly delved into his cyber kinetic transmitters and spoke to them all. _Return to the heart of the city and wait. I shall be there soon to lead you into the revolution. _Garrick turned back to Trunks with a smile as he sensed the crowd moving away from them. "Now, it's just you… and me," Garrick said.

Trunks watched Garrick carefully as he felt a droplet of sweat slip from his brow. There'd be no way he could win this fight. His only hope would be for Goten to show up… or Vegeta. They, sadly, were the only two people left to defend the planet from complete annihilation.

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Piccolo, having been given so much authority, stormed onto Kabitokai's planet with urgency. He quickly soared across the planet before finally coming to him. Piccolo had been, with King Kai's last breaths before becoming unconscious again, sensing the fight. He knew what had happened to Goku and who Goku was now… Garrick. He also knew, that even with Vegeta and Goten, Trunks didn't stand a chance.

"Piccolo, I know why you're here," Kabitokai said, holding his hands out in mock defense. He had actually been watching the fight from the lookout as he had use the "instant transmission" to get himself there. He wished he could do something, but Earth was out of his jurisdiction.

"Then get me to Earth, now!" Piccolo demanded, his blood boiling with urgency.

"I can't do that," Kabitokai informed him. The argument was futile, on Piccolo's part anyway, as there'd be no way he could get him to Earth without repercussions.

"Yes you can! Bend the rules, beg for permission, I don't care; just get me there!" Piccolo demanded, anger now coursing through his body. He knew that the only way they could win is if he was there; otherwise, there just wasn't enough man power.

"I've bent the rules too many times already. Besides, I don't even rule over that galaxy," Kabitokai returned. There was just nothing he could do.

"Fine, tell them I forced you to do it. I'll take the blame for it," Piccolo said, saying anything to get Kabitokai to reconsider. The consequences would be pretty steep if this were to happen. Though, now that Piccolo had laid out the plan, the consequences would be worse.

"Are you sure?" Kabitokai asked, urging as much caution in his voice as he could. Bending the rules this much would cause his status to be taken away and might even result to him being banished to HFIL himself.

"If you don't get me there now there won't _be_ a galaxy to look over. Then, there won't be a _universe_ to look over! Needless to say, it'll get pretty crowded up here," Piccolo said, crossing his arms in victory.

"Fine, I'll get you there. Just… don't die or we won't see you around ever again," Kabitokai warned him. That was really the true reason he didn't want Piccolo going. With Goku being the villain this time, no one was going to make it out alive.

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whew... exciting, eh? Well I hope so... it was a joy to write. Anyway, look forward to the next chapter! Remember, well... since you already read it... all i can tell you is TO REVIEW!!


	12. Fight for Mankind

Trunks kept his gaze attached to Garrick's limbs, ready for his first strike. "You can go first," Trunks said with a smile, hoping to draw out Garrick in haste.

Garrick let his hands fall to his sides and began to laugh; the boy was now trying to play mind games. It was cute. "Don't underestimate me," Garrick said and quickly darted forward. Garrick was at Trunks' doorstep in a millisecond and was already lashing out blows.

Trunks was caught too off guard to protect himself and the punches just seemed to keep coming. Trunks finally lost the grip on his sword and was propelled backwards into the air, his sword falling by the wayside. Trunks hit the ground and slid back before skidding to a halt.

"Come on, boy. Show me some gusto!" Garrick yelled and leapt over to Trunks. He came down knee first and crushed what was underneath him. Garrick looked, but it was only concrete… the boy was already standing and waiting.

Trunks quickly leapt forward and met Garrick with a barrage of his fastest strikes. He'd have to go all out in the beginning or else Garrick would quickly over power him. Trunks then found his opening in the frenzy and swung his foot into the side of Garrick's head. Garrick stumbled, but didn't fall.

Garrick cringed at the small pain throbbing in his temple, but what really got him was the dizziness; the kick was most unexpected. Garrick tried to recover, but was struck once more by a knee to the stomach. Garrick reeled back, but glanced up just in time to greet Trunks' uppercut.

Trunks followed the sailing body high into the air before clasping his hands together and driving them into Garrick's face. Garrick quickly changed directions and descended towards the ground; quickly connecting with the concrete in an explosion of rubble and smoke.

"I haven't used this move since I was a kid," Trunks commented to himself as he pulled his hands back to his side. It was a strong move and coupled with Goten… it could've easily taken out Broly when Lord Jaguar had brought him back

Garrick got to one knee and glanced up in the sky. The boy was close to making a fool out of him, but it would only be that once. He wouldn't make the mistake of being so careless ever again.

"Ka…me…ha…" Trunks chanted as the blue orb in his palms grew brighter. This had to work. It had to damage him enough to where the others could easily pick him off.

Garrick seethed as he searched through his memory banks and found Goku's energy attack, the "Kamehameha Wave". Garrick then launched up at Trunks; adamant that he would not be destroyed by his own move.

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Parlen dipped and dodged as energy beams cut through the air in her direction. Parlen had been trying to be a decoy until something could be done to fix everyone, but it was no use. Every time she came up with an idea… it was even more irrelevant than the last.

"Stop running little girl," Krillin said, firing another energy blast Parlen's way.

"You don't want to play with us?" Laurel asked mockingly, also sending a barrage of energy blasts her way.

Parlen dodged the energy attacks, but just barely. They were getting too accurate; she had to do something about it now. Parlen quickly powered as she watched her two assailants reel back for another round of energy blasts.

"I'll show you how I play," Parlen said with a smile and quickly rushed forward. Krillin and Laurel in midair as the shock factor fled through them. Parlen quickly seized her opportunity and reappeared at their backsides. She then flooded her ki to her hands and launched fierce barrage of energy attacks in their directions.

Krillin and Laurel felt the impact of the blasts grate into their necks; the sizzling of the energy reaching down beneath the surface to claim something that had wrongfully taken hold.

Laurel, the real laurel, suddenly regained control of her limbs as she found herself plummeting to the rocky Earth below. She quickly paused herself in mid-air and took complete control of herself. "Wow, thanks," Laurel said. She then reached back to her neck and felt the charred skin their.

Parlen was smiling, she had figured out how to turn everyone back. It would take a long time, but… it wouldn't work. It'd take too long; Garrick was still needed for an answer to that one. "How's Krillin doing?" Parlen asked Laurel.

Laurel had forgotten about Krillin until just then. She glanced down at Krillin, but what she saw definitely didn't ease the tension. She could tell Krillin was struggling, but struggling with what... she didn't know.

"Leave! I can't stop it!" Krillin yelled. He continuously dipped in and out of control, as he could tell that the device had only been damaged. Krillin then felt the machine driving a huge amount of ki into his right hand… and he couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.

"We won't leave you, Krillin. It'll be okay," Laurel said as she dipped down closer to Krillin.

"Stay… back!" Krillin yelled one last time before the machine in his body regained full control. He then helplessly watched as an energy disc was formed over his head.

Laurel saw the disc and immediately her heart began pounding. If she didn't escape this then- the disc launched at her without warning. Laurel flipped back and immediately felt the heat of the energy disc searing her skin as it passed over her.

Parlen saw Laurel flipping back… and then saw the Energy disc skimming at her with flight speed. Parlen began to ascend, to ascend high above the energy disc… where everything would be okay, but it didn't work out as she had planned. Parlen didn't even have time to wince as the blade met her stomach. The first few milliseconds of the collision burned; they shredded and pained beyond belief. After that though, everything was numb.

"Parlen, no!" Laurel yelled out, but she knew it was too late. She couldn't look away, but found herself watching Parlen's top half lifelessly fall to the ground below. Laurel seethed; her teeth grinding together with hatred for what Garrick had done. Laurel whipped around to face Krillin, but he was no where to be seen; so far gone that she couldn't even sense him.

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Vegeta soared through the air at a speed only limited by the fact that he didn't want to waste his ki before the battle. Vegeta knew that the fight was going to be tough, but no one could truly overcome him; for he was a Saiyan prince. The only one to truly exceed his power was Kakarot, but now that he was out of the picture… he was of no concern.

Vegeta's thoughts strayed as he sensed a familiar power level heading straight for him… it was Gohan. That brat still hadn't learned his lesson. It was a shame… it'd be the second of Kakarot's family out of the picture.

Vegeta arched an eyebrow as Gohan came closer; he had someone else with him. Vegeta slowed to a stop and hovered over the barren land under him, waiting for the two traitors.

Vegeta finally saw who was with Gohan; it was Videl. Vegeta had to laugh, how pathetic. If Gohan couldn't even survive against him… then neither would Videl. Though, as they were close enough to see every detail, Vegeta saw Videl in all actuality. She wasn't here to fight… she could barely move; Gohan was carrying her limp body by the collar.

Gohan slowed to a stop in front of Vegeta and smiled devilishly. "Long time no see," Gohan said, still holding Videl at his side.

"Cowering behind your wife, now?" Vegeta asked with a smirk.

Gohan glanced down at Videl and then back up at Vegeta, "Just a bit of persuasion."

Vegeta arched an eyebrow at the comment; this was going to be interesting. "I hope you're not including me this whole scenario. I don't persuade with the weak," Vegeta explained, his demeanor quickly changing to match his anger. How dare Gohan to try such trickery with a Saiyan prince.

"So you'll let her die, then?" Gohan asked, moving his free hand to the side of her head.

"Let her? Ha. I'll kill her myself if you want me to," Vegeta returned, meaning every word of it. Why should he care about the spouse of weak minded buffoon?

"Good; then you won't mind disposing of the life she carries with her, then?" Gohan asked, an intrigued look befalling his features.

Vegeta almost gasped in surprise, but held it in, his demeanor unchanging. So, Videl was pregnant. It must have just happened, because she sure wasn't showing any signs of it. "You can do that yourself. I don't dwindle in the affairs of the weak. My opponents can at least people up a fight… or they're just really good at pissing me off," Vegeta said, his smirk returning.

"I understand. I'll have to do it then," Gohan said, tossing Videl into the air. Vegeta began to move, but forced himself to stand still… convinced it was a bluff.

Vegeta watched as Videl fell back down to Gohan; only this time, his hand was gripped around his neck. "Come on now, I'm not stopping you," Vegeta said, urging him with a hastening hand gesture.

"Gohan, please… don't," Videl said, through weakened windpipes. She could barely feel her body, but she knew she was in trouble… she knew what was going on.

"Have it your way, Vegeta," Gohan said and formed an energy ball in his palm. He then shrugged and with no regard for his unborn child, forced it against Videl's stomach.

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Piccolo didn't even give Kabitokai a chance to say anything before he launched down from the lookout, a bright halo above his head. Piccolo soared through the air faster than he ever thought he could move. Nothing was going to stop him from ripping Garrick a new one. Over the years, he had truly grown to appreciate Earth and everyone on it. He sincerely considered everyone he knew his family. Even with him having to spend the last year on King Kai's planet he still felt attached to Gohan and the rest of his friends; he felt like he needed to be there.

Piccolo quickly got to the ground and carefully skimmed above grassy hills just feet below him. Then he sensed it; an energy he hadn't come into contact with in a long time… and it was no longer threatening.

"_Green men taste good_!" Buu yelled from a few yards in front of Piccolo. He came out of nowhere, obviously under the control of the machine plague, to confront him. How Buu knew he was here was a mystery, but he would not stand in his way. "_Buu lo_-

The pink monster's sentence was cut short however as Piccolo didn't even stop to smell the roses. He tore right through Buu; leaving him behind in a beautiful two piece set. Piccolo smiled as he continued on his journey to West City; he didn't know what he was going to do, but it sure as hell was going to be something.

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"HA!" Trunks finished the chant and let loose a giant blue ki beam. The beam tore through the air and hit the ground with a resounding thud. Trunks let go of the beam and let it dissipate as its explosion mushroomed out; trunks had to shield his eyes as the energy and fire raged below.

The explosion soon died out though and Trunks finally got his first peak at what was left of streets below. What used to be three city streets and Garrick's ship were now nothing more than a deep crater. Trunks breathed heavily as he let his hands fall back down to his sides.

Trunks couldn't speak… he could just smile. He knew he had done something. It might even be over.

"Nice try."

Trunks eyes went wide as fear ran through his body. Trunks turned in the direction of the voice and up above him, no evidence of injury plaguing his body at all, was Garrick. "No…" Trunks mumbled to himself, unable to accept the fact that his attack had done nothing at all.

"That was a brilliant attack. I wonder if mine can do any better." Garrick said with a smile as he pulled his hands to his sides. "Excuse me, while I give it a shot."

Good chapter I hope. I had fun writing it. I know it's deep into that final fight phase, but look forward to more plot moving segments, anyway. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Review if you want to, it'd sure help keep me motivated.


	13. The War Rages On

I hope you guy's like the new installment. It's getting all suspensful and stuff so have fun!

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Vegeta closed the gap in seconds and threw Gohan's hand to the side. Vegeta then struck Gohan with a backhand; sending him spiraling to the ground. Videl fell into Vegeta's arms as he watched Gohan stop himself before hitting the ground.

"Would you look at that… Vegeta has a conscience," Gohan said. Golden energy then erupted around Gohan as he prepared to strike back at Vegeta.

Vegeta didn't really want to believe what Gohan had said, but he knew it all along. While living on this miserable planet he had grown to enjoy it and even… care about. He began to care about the people he saw everyday. He had finally been able to see what victims' lives were like, the victims being families; the families that he used to wipe out in one attack… or the families that he used to make suffer.

"Thank you, Vegeta," Videl said weakly, clinging to his neck. She didn't think Vegeta would actually save her, but when he did… it was wonderful. Vegeta had saved her from… Gohan. Videl felt her eyes watering as Gohan's name circulated in her mind. While she knew he was being controlled, it was still heart breaking.

"Well, since you went through all that trouble to save her… I'll let you put her somewhere safe before we do this," Gohan yelled out to Vegeta.

Vegeta smirked; finally, some of the real Gohan was showing through. Whether the machine knew it or not; that was partly Gohan speaking. The machine that had just moments ago tried to kill Videl's baby wasn't the one telling his prince to "put her somewhere safe".

Vegeta shook his head clear of the distractions and descended down to the ground below. He sat Videl in the midst of some of the rocky formations and glanced back at Gohan. "I'll kick some sense into that brat husband of yours," Vegeta said, powering up to a Super Saiyan.

Videl watched as Golden energy spilled out from Vegeta's body and flamed up around him. Sometimes… a lot of times…. she wished she could be a Saiyan and experience such power, but it would never happen. "Thank you, Vegeta. Once this is over… you'll return everything to normal won't you?"

"You act like I'm the new savior of Earth, woman. Please… I'm just fighting for the fun of it," Vegeta replied and blasted off into the air. He watched as Gohan followed him up to where he was; now only a few yards from him.

"You ready?" Gohan asked with a smile.

"You ready to die?" Vegeta asked with a smirk.

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Trunks watched as a blue orbed formed in Garrick's palms; he was beginning the chant. If he released the energy Trunk's knew he had… then it would kill him. Although, if he managed to dodge it… the Earth would not survive.

"Ka…me…ha…me…-

Garrick suddenly spiraled down from the sky; the blue orb dissipating into the air. Trunks glanced around, wondering what was going on. Then, as he looked higher into the air, he saw Goten with an outstretched arm.

"Goten!" Trunks yelled, but as he continued to look… he knew that Goten was now entranced at seeing his father, a villain.

Garrick shook his head of the dizziness and glanced around, seething in anger. He then spotted another golden haired boy up in the sky… another Saiyan. Garrick quickly searched Goku's data banks for the boy's identity and found… that it was his son. "Goten, don't you see what he's doing to me?! Trunks is the one to fear! I've come down from King Kai's place to put a stop to this!" Garrick yelled, impersonating Goku as much as he could from the information he had gathered.

Goten heard his father cry out for him… cry out for help. Goten snarled, his father would never cry out for help… this was some sort of monster. "You lair! I've seen the damage that you've caused and there's no way you're my father!" Goten yelled out. Goten tried his best to become angry with Goku…. Garrick. Goten, on the outside, looked angry to no extent, but on the inside… he was battling on whether or not he could even fight what looked so much like his father.

Trunks saw the look on Goten's face and knew what was going. He had been with Goten many times before in a situation looked this and knew that he always had battles with his conscience; he was just like his father. "Goten, you have to fight! This isn't Goku anymore… it's a monster!" Trunks yelled out, trying his hardest to get into Goten's head.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out where Garrick was and Trunk's searched for the cause. Then, as if the tides were turning, he saw Laurel in the sky…. both her hands outstretched. "You guys are taking a while to make up your minds," Laurel said, lowering her hands back down by her side.

Garrick seethed as he glared at Laurel through the smoke. The attack didn't even tickle, but it just the fact the she even dared to oppose him. Garrick launched through the smoke and closed the gap between them in seconds. "How dare you defy me!" Garrick yelled and reeled his fist back. He then brought it forward with as much speed and strength as he could muster.

Laurel was too shocked to move; even as Garrick's fist came closer and even as her life flashed before her eyes. Laurel then felt it the impact of the punch. The sickening thud that managed to destroy what lied underneath the skin. The painful, searing impact that caused blood to spill over her lips

"You've learned your lesson," Garrick said, removing his fist from her stomach.

Laurel clasped her hands over her stomach and hovered backwards an inch. This was it, everything was going numb… everything was moving farther and farther away. She couldn't even keep her eyes open. Laurel then began to convulse and then manage to throw up. Laurel felt relieved, if there could be such a thing at the moment, as she cleared the contents from her throat. Though, as she looked down, all she saw was blood. There was no bile, none of what she ate at breakfast… just blood.

"Bye bye," Garrick said with a giddy smile and waved to Laurel. She seemed to acknowledge, but Garrick couldn't tell. Garrick then placed his hand on her forehead and pushed with all his might. Laurel launched backwards and to the ground… soon meeting it with resounding explosion of rubble and dust.

Goten's eyes widened in horror as one punch brought down his beloved. "You fucking murderer!" Goten yelled with, with all the anger and loathing he could muster. He then launched forward with speed he didn't know he had.

Garrick simply stood still as the Saiyan rocketed its way after him. Goten finally reached him and threw a particularly strong punch in the direction of Garrick's face. Garrick caught it with ease, "I'm tired of playing these petty games." Garrick then pulled Goten down to waist level and struck him with a knee to the temple.

The strike launched Goten towards the ground with such force that he'd be crushed on impact. Goten, though, was suddenly whisked from his trajectory and slowed to a stop. "That hurt," Goten mumbled, looking up to see that it was Trunks who stopped him.

Trunks shook his head and glanced up at Garrick, "He's not even at full power. You know what we have to do right?" Trunks had been thinking it over and if it happened… their power would reach that of a Super Saiyan 3… and a half.

"We have to fuse," Goten said, knowing too that it was their only chance at winning.

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Vegeta dodged and blocked very lightening fast strike sent his way by Gohan. It was almost too easy; while they were basically equal a year ago… Gohan had desperately fallen behind since then. "This can't be it, Gohan." Vegeta laughed, taunting the boy.

"You'll die, Vegeta!" Gohan said and through his most powerful, hate filled punch.

Vegeta easily dodged the sloppy punch and drove his knee into Gohan's stomach. He then slammed his elbow into the back of Gohan's head; the force of the strike sending Gohan to the ground below. "Haven't you noticed it by now… I am the strongest fighter in the universe. When I reach Garrick… he will be no match," Vegeta explained with confidence.

"You won't even make it through me!" Gohan yelled and launched up from the ground.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and stretched his arm out in front of him. He then glanced over at Videl's position and upon seeing that she would be safe… uttered some of his favorite words. "Big Bang Attack!" Vegeta yelled the phrase and launched a high density energy ball at the approaching Gohan.

Gohan saw the attack and immediately stopped in his tracks. It wouldn't be enough, though, as the attack slammed into him and exploded. The explosion ripped through the sky and decimated the rocky formations underneath.

Vegeta watched as Gohan fell from the sky and hit the ground below, his golden hair dissipating. Vegeta had given the attack just enough energy to knock Gohan unconscious for a very long time. Now, it was time to get some Sensu Beans before heading off to face Garrick.

Vegeta quickly launched off in the direction of Dende's lookout hoping to make it there in record time; oh, and before Garrick managed to destroy all mankind.

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Piccolo hid amongst rubble as he watched the two downed Saiyan's being crushed by Garrick. He had heard what they were planning to do while he was flying here and if they pulled it off… it could work. They weren't kids anymore and with the power they have now… they'd become a super warrior.

Piccolo then rose from the behind the rubble knowing what he must do. "Garrick, why don't you pick on somebody your own size," Piccolo said with a smile.

Garrick looked up and saw the green warrior he had come across in Goku's memory. "If I were to guess right, you're a head taller than me. Oh well, I guess," Garrick said with a shrug and kicked Trunks through the air.

"Fine, I'll be the bully then," Piccolo said and launched off at Garrick. He reached him in an instant and slammed his fist into Garrick's jaw. Garrick launched backwards, but quickly regained his control. Piccolo glanced over to Trunks and Goten, "Hurry up and fuse, I'll hold him off!"

Trunks saw that it was Piccolo and immediately felt horrible. It was _his_ fault that Piccolo was here now… with a halo. "We have to get it right. Do you remember how?" Trunks asked.

"It's P-Piccolo, but where's he been?" Goten asked, bewildered as he watched Piccolo and Garrick raged war. They seemed so even as they battled it out.

"Never mind that! Do you remember?" Trunks asked, grabbing Goten by the collar.

"Yes I remember!" Goten asked and brushed Trunks off. Goten then got to his feet and kept his eyes on Trunks.

"You excited?" Trunks asked with a smile. He certainly hadn't done _this_ in a while.

Goten finally broke away from his callous exterior and smiled. "Yeah, it's going to be fun," Goten said stepped a few feet away from Trunks.

Trunks glanced over at Goten and got into position. "Alright, let's do this."

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So exciting.. I can't wait for the fusion next chapter; if they even get to fuse that it... but hey... who knows, right? Well, i hope you enjoyed and it review if you want to. It'd sure put a smile on my face.


	14. Fu sion HA!

"Trunks, can we wait just a second?" Goten asked, becoming nervous about doing the fusion dance. It had been a while… he might be rusty.

"Goten, the fate of Earth rests in our hands… why are we waiting?" Trunks asked, getting annoyed at Goten's lack of responsibility. The world was about to be obliterated and all Goten wanted to do was wait.

"I kind of forgot how to do it," Goten admitted sheepishly, an ashamed look befalling his features. It had been years since he'd last done the fusion dance.

Trunks shook his head, hoping his problems would fall away with it. Though, he knew they weren't going to. "Alright Goten, I'll show you, but you have to get it right."

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Piccolo stood just five feet from the immense power he felt even as he left the lookout. Garrick gazed at Piccolo with a smirk that proved he knew what was going on and he intended on stopping it. "You won't make it past me. My power reaches far beyond anything you know," Piccolo began with the small talk, trying to stall as much as he could.

Garrick smiled at the feeble attempt to intimidate him; it was quite amusing actually. "I've read all about you in Goku's memory banks and you, my friend, aren't even strong enough to down a fly," Garrick remarked. He had filtered through all the information on Piccolo that he could find and learned that Piccolo had never reached an immense power level. Piccolo was a Namekian, a generally weak race to begin with, and he was the strongest of them all. His downfall was that their species didn't have the ability to transform into Super beings, as did the Saiyans. His only trick was that he could fuse with other Namekians permanently. The only problem was… there was a shortage of those.

"Well, Goku's memory has nothing on me from the past year. So, please, prove how weak I am," Piccolo said with a smile and drew back into a fighting stance.

Garrick glanced over at the two boys mucking around a few meters away, trying their best to "fuse" as they call it. "I'll indulge in your game for the time being, but if they haven't fused in the next thirty seconds… you're all dead," Garrick said sternly and fell back into a fighting stance as well.

Piccolo snarled at the comment and launched off at Garrick. How dare this bastard think he can just toy with anyone here? Anyone here could put up a decent enough fight for this mongrel.

Garrick evaded this first strike, but found himself having trouble with the rest. Piccolo was quite fast; faster than he expected. Garrick blocked and dodged as fast as he could, but Piccolo kept gaining centimeter upon centimeter. A frown molded his lips as a thought crossed his mind; maybe Piccolo was equal to him in power.

Piccolo threw one last punch at Garrick and then changed over to legwork. The speedy change caught Garrick off guard and allowed for a strike to the ribs. Piccolo connected it perfectly and sent Garrick stumbling back. He then leapt forward and backhanded Garrick through the air; away from Goten and Trunks.

Garrick dug his heels into the rubble and finally slid to a stop. He then reached up and wiped the blood from his angry lips. How could such a weak alien hit so hard and too fast for him to keep up with. Oh well, maybe it was time for more talking.

"Had enough?" Piccolo asked, slowly making his way over to Garrick.

Garrick laughed, "Nonsense, we just got started." Garrick took a few steps towards Piccolo and paused for a moment. He then glanced over Piccolo's shoulder at the boys, noticing that they were still no where near "fusing".

"Then why are you just standing there?" Piccolo asked curiously. He would think that Garrick would be trying to stop the fusion, but he's almost welcoming it.

"I'll have you know that I'm not at full power," Garrick said, trying to intimidate his green attacker.

"I can tell you've already reached the second stage of the Super Saiyan; you've only got one more to go," Piccolo stated, knowing that a Super Saiyan three was way too much for him to handle. Gotenks could handle that form fine, though.

"You silly goose… I haven't even applied _my_ portion of the power to the equation," Garrick informed him, relaying nothing but the truth to Piccolo.

"W-what?" It was all Piccolo could muster; he was in shock. There was no telling how much power Garrick could add to Goku's Super Saiyan abilities.

"It's okay, you've got a right to be scared," Garrick said with a smirk. "Originally, I'm much stronger than a stupid Super Saiyan and coupled with Goku's powers… I'm invincible," Garrick said, not entirely relaying the truth with that message. Of course he wasn't invincible, but he was damn near close.

"You're lying through your teeth and it's pathetic," Piccolo said, trying to weed out Garrick's anger. If he were to just make one false move in a moment of rage Piccolo could render him helpless against one of Gotenk's attacks.

"I'll show you pathetic!" Garrick yelled and rushed towards Piccolo. How dare a low class species such as a Namekian undermine his capabilities; it would be the end of him.

Piccolo smiled as Garrick rushed toward him in visible anger; it was his only opportunity. Piccolo quickly lashed out with one powerful strike that would surely crush Garrick's spine, but managed to crush only air. "What!?" Piccolo yelled in frustration as he passed through an afterimage.

Garrick reappeared behind Piccolo and couldn't help but to indulge for a moment's time; the stupid Namekian and his mind games… how ridiculous. Garrick then shoved his palm into Piccolo's back and powered up an energy blast that would surely rip him apart.

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Vegeta landed on the deck of the lookout with his sensu beans safely in hand; it'd been easy enough to convince the weaklings down below to hand over the whole lot of them. Vegeta, though, was only up here for one reason… Bulma.

He had sensed her presence while he was getting the sensu and he wanted to come up here and check on things; not that he actually cared about how she was fairing… he just needed to check on the child that would succeed him one day.

Vegeta quickly made his way across the lookout to where Bulma was and when she saw him her look wasn't what he expected it to be. "Woman, before you start-

Bulma stampeded over to her "husband" and cut him off at the beginning. "Mister, don't _you_ start with _me_! Why has it taken you so long to come check on me? I could've died and you never would have known about it!" Bulma yelled, poking Vegeta in the chest with emphasis.

Vegeta snarled, but only on the inside. He knew he'd have to sit there and take the tirade for at least a few minutes before he could go out and save the world. The only person on this planet more temperamental than Vegeta… was his wife.

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Goten watched as Piccolo erupted in an explosion and fell to the ground, lifeless. Goten cringed, but was relieved that Piccolo wasn't dead… his body still adorned the ground.

"Come on, Goten… now's our chance!" Trunks yelled, getting into position.

"It's your turn now!" Garrick yelled from a few meters away. He then powered up to the full extent of his Super Saiyan two powers; he wanted to get as much out of it as possible before having to transcend to the next stage.

Goten saw it… and immediately got into position. "I'm ready," Goten said, looking at Trunks.

"Then let's do this," Trunks returned.

They both began the dance… "Fu…sion… HA!"

Garrick stumbled back as the boys performed the most awful dance routine he had ever laid eyes on… and yielded spectacular results. The area ignited in golden showers of energy until finally everything dissipated.

"_Gotenk's here, pleased to see me?"_ The cocky fusion product bellowed out. He then smiled confidently and ran a hand through his long, golden hair.

Garrick trembled at the sight of the Super Saiyan three. He had no idea how they had done it, but they were now there... standing before him as a whole… as one entity.

Garrick quickly pulled himself together. "Well, I've got another trick too," Garrick remarked with a smile and began building up his ki. He quickly overloaded it and erupted in a mountain of golden energy… thus sending him to the third stage of the Super Saiyan.

Gotenks began to laugh; who does this guy think he is? "_Oooooh, I'm so scared. I might just go running back to my mommy now_," Gotenks said, his words oozing with sarcasm. It felt so good to be Gotenks again; the power, the confidence, and the truth that no one on Earth was more powerful. It was a completely humbling experience. Gotenks then fell into a fighting stance; completely ready for the fight ahead. "_Or maybe not_," Gotenks finished, letting Garrick know that he was here to stay.

Garrick seethed as he too fell back into his fighting stance. How dare two… one little kid make such a mockery of his power… of his destiny to destroy this pathetic planet. "Didn't your mother's ever teach you any manners? Your smart mouth will be the end of you!" Garrick yelled out as ki sparked all around his glowing figure.

"_Keep the shenanigans up, dirt bag. Gotenks will put you in your place_," The fused warrior said with a reassuring smile.

"I applaud your ability to refer to yourself in the third person. Next, I'll applaud at how easy it'll be to kill you!" Garrick then launched off at Gotenks, yellow energy erupting in his wake.


	15. Battle of the MegaPowers

"Woman, I need to get to the battlefield," Vegeta said angrily, trying his best to get his mate to shut her mouth.

"Why can't it wait?" Bulma asked, posting her hands on her hips. Vegeta was being extremely irresponsible and wasn't taking the time out to be concerned about his family. Why did he always have to be so callous?

"If the earth is destroyed _you_ won't have a place to run your mouth," Vegeta remarked, crossing his arms in frustration. The woman just never learned; she thought she knew everything.

"Run _my_ mouth? Vegeta, I think that's all _you_ ever do!" Bulma yelled, hoping that something would fit into Vegeta's thick head.

Vegeta turned away, hoping he could block out the rest of Bulma's tirade. Then, he noticed it; he silently cursed himself for not seeing it earlier. "Woman, shut up! Where's Alexia?" Vegeta asked, frantically.

"Oh, now you ask! Well, she was stolen! Taken! Gone! Gone, gone, gone!" Bulma yelled out, finishing the last word with the last bit of breath she had. She now stood there, exhausted, waiting on a reply from the _new_ savior of the world.

Vegeta didn't say anything at first, he was stunned. How could he have let Alexia get taken by Garrick and his goons? It was, though, a mistake he would soon rectify. "I'll be back," Vegeta said and launched off the lookout in a spray of energy.

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Gotenks launched off at Garrick; the ground erupted from under his feet. Garrick did the same thing; the earth beneath him rushing into the sky. Gotenks reeled back his right hand and threw it forward as they reached each other. The strike caught Garrick off guard and sent him flying back.

Garrick soared through the air and couldn't find the power to stop himself. The punch had been too strong; Gotenks all together was too strong. He'd have to power up if he had any hopes of beating him.

Gotenks sped up and quickly appeared behind Garrick; his elbow outstretched. Garrick slammed into it; contorting his body in an extremely unhealthy way. The strike launched Garrick off in the other direction.

Garrick once again found himself flying out of control; how did the little bastards get so strong? While still flying through the air, Garrick quickly powered up to the fullest extent of his Super Saiyan 2 powers; thus giving him enough strength to stop his flight. He then turned to meet Gotenks, but only found a fist in his stomach. Despite his power, the pain was still excruciating.

"_That was for Laurel_," Gotenks said, remembering what Garrick had done to his beloved. Gotenks then backhanded Garrick; sending him flying into the remains of a building. "_That was for my little sister. After this is over, I'm getting her back_," Gotenks yelled out to Garrick, who was now stumbling out of the building.

Garrick felt the aches and pains all over his body; he had to hold out just a little longer. He needed to save all the power he could for Vegeta. The likes of who was probably stronger than Gotenks. Garrick then smiled as he gazed at Gotenks' long mane; Vegeta wasn't stronger than Gotenks… the fight was futile for them.

Gotenks then began a speedy run to Garrick. "_I won't give you the chance to reach Super Saiyan three_!" Gotenks said, common sense finally settling in on him. He needed to end this battle now.

Garrick powered up, spilling golden ki from his body, and managed to catch Gotenks' strike. Garrick grimaced in pain as the punch surely fractured his palm. "You think the Super Saiyan three is the only power I have? I've got internal reserves I haven't even applied," Garrick said with a confident smile, hoping to scare Gotenks.

Gotenks rolled his eyes and broke free of Garrick's grasp. "_Look's like I'll have to stop you from attaining that, too_," Gotenks said as he launched his palm into Garrick's chest. Garrick flew back, through the building he was in before, and into another building.

Garrick was under rubble; so much that… it would take Gotenks a while to find him. This was his only chance, the chance to become a Super Saiyan three and completely obliterate Gotenks.

Gotenks flew up into the air and powered up; golden ki flowing around him. Then, without warning, the rubble beneath him erupted in golden light. The surrounding buildings were incinerated from the energy and soon Gotenks got a good look at what was going on. "_Damn, he changed_," Gotenks mumbled to himself; seeing Garrick standing there as a Super Saiyan three.

Suddenly, Garrick was in front of Gotenks. The possibilities of the new power were endless. It felt as if he was freshly on the battlefield with powers exceeding even his imagination. Garrick smiled as Gotenks' face was painted in horror. "What an unfortunate turn of events," Garrick said and head butted Gotenks. The fused warrior was propelled backwards from the strike and into the ground below.

Gotenks, though, was now behind Garrick. He then cupped his hands together and slammed them down upon his skull. Garrick descended to the ground at an alarming speed and crashed into it, erupting in dirt and rubble. "_Die Die Missile Barrage_!" Gotenks yelled out and began launching off dozens of energy blasts. The blasts slammed into Garrick's general area and erupted in energy and flames. Gotenks kept the blasts coming as the explosions rose into the sky. Finally, he let the last blast go and let his hands fall at his sides. He huffed in exhaustion and watched for a moment's time, but nothing seemed to happen.

"_Laurel!_" Gotenks yelled and blasted down to where he saw her last. He quickly found her and what he saw terrified him. Gotenks landed beside her and knelt down; scooping her up in his arms. _"Hey, how much does it hurt_?" Gotenks asked, trying to figure out if this was his last moment with her.

"It…hurts… so much," Laurel responded, her vision getting dimmer by the minute. All she could feel was pain, everything had blended together to create a devastating mix.

"_It's going to be fine. We'll get you a sensu bean… or two_," Gotenks said with a wavering smile, but as he really assessed Laurel's situation his smile faded completely. Gotenks felt horrible; how could he have let this happen? The gold in his hair began to fade as its length receded; he didn't have the will power to hold the transformation any longer.

Laurel looked at Goten, or was it Trunks, through quaking eyes. It had to be Goten; it had to be… she wanted it to be him she was with in the last moments of her life. "I love you," Laurel said, shakily bringing her hand up and placing it around Goten's neck.

Gotenks then leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. The passion was only intensified in their final moments together. Her soft lips let him know how much he loved her… and how much he wanted her to stay.

Gotenks suddenly rose up, letting Laurel settled back on the ground. Who kissed Laurel; Trunks, or Goten? Gotenks' gaze shifted from side to side as Goten and Trunks tried to give each other a surprised look. "_What'd I do_?" Gotenks asked himself or the two people he was composed of.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out in the distance, shaking Gotenks from his thoughts. Gotenks glanced up and saw Garrick, still standing. Only this time, he wasn't the same. His hair was dark silver with streaks of red flowing through it, his eyes were the color of crimson, and the energy surrounding his body was black and terrifying.

Garrick laughed as Gotenks quaked and slowly retreated. "I was going to save the transformation for Vegeta, but I couldn't help it seeing as you were so eager to _die_," Garrick said with a sadistic smile and launched off at Gotenks.

It was too fast… it wasn't possible. Gotenks had just been watching Garrick a second before and now he was flying through the air; his face submersed in excruciating pain. Suddenly, his flight changed direction as he felt an impact on the back of his head. He couldn't even do anything about it. This Garrick was way too strong.

Garrick appeared in front of his moving target and latched his fingers around Gotenks' throat. He then lifted him up a foot off the ground and smiled at him. "Don't feel bad, you'll be going to a better place soon," Garrick said with a laugh and began slamming his fist into Gotenks' stomach repetitively.

Gotenks cringed with every strike; blood beginning to trickle from the side of his mouth. It was over; everyone was going to die. There was no way Vegeta was this strong and there's no one left to help play the numbers game.

"Put the brat down," Vegeta demanded, floating down just a few feet from Garrick.

Garrick smiled as he heard Vegeta's voice boom out from behind him. He then obeyed with a smile and tossed Gotenks to the side. "He was an exciting warm-up," Garrick said, turning towards Vegeta.

Vegeta watched as Gotenks split back in two; the brats were both unconscious before they hit the ground. "It was in vain; you're no match for me," Vegeta said with a smirk; his arms crossed with confidence.

Garrick laughed; a good, hard laugh. "Vegeta, I didn't know you were a comedian," Garrick said, still chuckling.

Vegeta scowled and pulled his arms to his sides in anger. "How dare you mock my power. Just for that, I shall no longer prolong your life. I'm going to end this little charade now and take back my daughter," Vegeta explained, his tone harsh and callous.

"Oh Vegeta, if only she was your daughter," Garrick said with a sigh.

Vegeta's anger finally reached its boiling point and erupted. "How _dare_ you! Just because you've managed to taken on Kakarot's form doesn't mean I'll fall prey to your petty mind games! Explain yourself!" Vegeta yelled out, his anger swarming inside of him.

Garrick smiled, knowing that this was going to be all too delicious. "I have searched your Kakarot's memory banks and have come to find that Alexia is not yours. She is a product of Goku and Bulma's time on Namek. I have taken Alexia because of her potential for power. She can easily become stronger than you at the age of thirteen and be the strongest fighter in the universe at sixteen," Garrick explained, his tone uncaring and bearing no sympathy.

Vegeta exploded on the inside; fires raging in his mind… in his heart. He did have his suspicions, but he never thought that Bulma would betray him like that. She was supposed to be his mate for life. She wasn't supposed to forsake their bond. "Kakarot, you shall die for what you've done to me!"

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Well, I hope you liked the chapter. I had fun writing it. Anyway, review if you want... it keeps me motivated if you do.


	16. A Heart of Black

"Vegeta, I thoroughly suggest you calm down. There's no way you can win," Garrick said, truthfully. He wasn't trying to bargain or even intimidate Vegeta; he was just giving him the facts.

"Why should I listen to you? What you've done can only be rectified by your demise," Vegeta said, through gritted teeth. Anger snaked its way through his veins and boiled the blood in his body to no end. Vegeta didn't know why it hurt, but it did. He was supposed to be the Prince of the Saiyans: a heartless commander destroying anyone opposing him. He was supposed to be made of stone; a stoic figure only forced to move when a battle arose. He was supposed to be ruthless: a devastating being whose name struck fear in the hearts of all in the universe.

Vegeta clenched his fists until the inside of his gloves were laden with blood. He was none of the things he had envisioned himself to be. First, Vegeta was defeated by Kakarot and was mockingly spared; then, he was surpassed by Kakarot in everyway as Kakarot became a Super Saiyan; then, that atrocious woman found her way into Vegeta's life; lastly, the birth of his son forever bound him to this planet and its people. Now, the centerpiece, the one who held the puzzle together… had betrayed him and shattered his world.

"It's hardly worth crying over, Vegeta," Garrick said with a laugh and began to walk away. While the Saiyan was busy crying like a baby… Garrick would go finish what he had started.

Vegeta felt it; at first it was only a prick, but it was noticeable. It was the proverbial _click_ heard when the key was twisted the appropriate way. The doors had finally opened and behind anger… behind tears… the true nature of Vegeta was finally free. The true savagery that had once consumed his soul was now running amuck in the Saiyan Prince's mind.

Garrick stopped, squinting in skepticism as a slight aura built up around Vegeta. He wasn't spouting off egotistical remarks, he wasn't smirking; he wasn't the Vegeta depicted in Goku's memory banks. He was just standing there; ki building around his figure.

Vegeta began to shake as his anger became too much to bare. The world around him was truly unforgiving; even those closest to him didn't care… so why should he? The world he had grown to care about had never returned the favor. He had been duped; tricked into trying to save a world that would never even recognize it.

Garrick stumbled back as golden energy erupted around the Saiyan, but he was still just standing there. Garrick's lip began to tremble slightly as he felt Vegeta's power level climb rapidly, but the Saiyan was still standing there. Then, he moved; not his whole body, not to attack, but to glare at Garrick with a sadistic smirk.

Vegeta felt free; he felt the reigns detach and the cage that had been holding him hostage… just boil away. "It feels good… to be me again," Vegeta remarked, his mind finally free.

"What are y-you… talking about?" Garrick asked through trembling lips. The Saiyan's demeanor had changed so suddenly… along with his power level. Vegeta was now almost as powerful…

"You know what I'm talking about, because you too feel the way I do. You only care about yourself and you like it," Vegeta explained, taking one step closer to Garrick. "I've finally rid myself of the barrier holding me back; the feelings that have kept me from being he warrior I was born to be," Vegeta said as he took another step closer to Garrick.

Garrick took a step back every time Vegeta neared him… finally afraid. Though, he still had one chance, his minions. "The entire world is at my fingertips, Vegeta. No matter how _free_ you are, you can't overcome billions of the people who hate you and want to kill you," Garrick said, trying to truly relay the hopelessness of the situation.

Vegeta laughed at Garrick's attempt at intimidation. "I can destroy this entire planet with my pinky," Vegeta said with a smirk.

"But you won't and that's the problem," Garrick said, pulling back into a fighting stance. Vegeta was volatile; there was no telling what he would do next.

Vegeta suddenly rose into the sky and looked over at the setting sun. "I've had this conversation before, but this time I have a different answer," Vegeta said, his facial features now becoming serious. "I don't need mind control to make me stronger; to release what's really inside me. I only need what truly lies inside; the beating, black heart of a true Saiyan warrior!"

Garrick's eyes went wide with Vegeta's exclamation; he was speaking the truth. Garrick quickly launched off into the air blasted off through the city hoping to escape Vegeta and what he had become. Suddenly, an explosion enveloped the area in front of him. Garrick watched as many in his legion were engulfed in the blast. Vegeta truly had reverted back to his savage ways; he had no regard for anyone's life.

Vegeta watched as Garrick flew off in the other direction. He quickly powered up again and launched another energy ball into the city. The attack quickly made an impact and erupted in a giant explosion, leveling three or four city blocks. "I can do this all day, Garrick. Just get up here and face me!"

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Trunks slowly crawled over to Laurel as pain repeatedly washed over him. He had to get out of there, though. His dad had lost it and could very well kill them all. "Laurel, wake up," Trunks urged his friend as he shook her by the shoulder.

Laurel's eyes fluttered open, but it hurt to even do that. Her entire body was in pain… well, the parts she could feel anyway. "What's going on?" Laurel asked, her words seeming too weak.

Trunks slid closer to her, trying to shield her from the debris raining down. "Vegeta's gone insane. We have to get to the lookout," Trunks explained, pulling himself to his knees.

"There's no way I can fly. I can't even feel my legs," Laurel said weakly. She was too weak to do anything; she'd have to be carried the whole way there.

Trunks shook his head, but noticed something out of the corner of his eye; the sensu beans! Trunks smiled widely as he reached out and grabbed them. He had no idea what angel had left them here, but it was a true blessing.

"What are we going to do," Laurel asked, her eyes still searching the sky. She didn't have enough energy to move her neck… so she was stuck staring into the clouds.

"Eat this," Trunks insisted and carefully placed a sensu bean in Laurel's mouth. His hand cupped her cheek as he lingered there, waiting for her to swallow. Even covered in blood and debris, she still had a beauty about her. She looked good as a fighter… as one of them.

It was magical; Laurel had never felt anything like it. In an instant, all her pain had boiled away. She quickly, excitedly, sat up and accidentally came within inches of Trunks' face. "Thanks," It was all Laurel could say as she found herself speechless. She had never been captivated by Trunks before, but now she was getting a look at who he truly was.

Trunks blushed and pulled away, now trying to search for Goten. They had landed right beside each other, but now he was no where to be found. Another explosion mushroomed up in the distance and Trunks knew he didn't have the time. "Come on, let's go," Trunks said, motioning for Laurel to get. She must've understood the situation as she left in a hurry with no mention of Goten.

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Vegeta felt a warm, tingling feeling swarm around in his stomach as he demolished the city around him. It had been so long since his heart had even let him enjoy _thinking_ about it. Vegeta loved it; he felt like he had the power of a golden oozaru... just without the beastly transformation.

Garrick finally flew back to Vegeta… knowing he'd have to fight. Really, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Garrick was still stronger and faster than Vegeta. Though, the aforementioned Saiyan was still intimidating. He had lost all connections with the world they battled in; he could be capable of so much more. "If this is how you want it Vegeta… then so be it!" Garrick yelled, launching towards Vegeta.

Vegeta smirked as his prey closed the gap at an intimidating speed. Finally, the villain would face an opponent with shared interests; destruction and chaos. Vegeta launched forward and reeled his fist back, ready for the strike.

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Bulma sat a top the lookout, hoping that everything would turn out like it always had. She had faith in Vegeta; he was stubborn, but he had the ability to get the job done. Only Goku had surpassed him in strength really, but with Vegeta's recent training… he was powerful.

Bulma smiled as she felt herself becoming proud of her husband, but that glee was soon diminished as an orb of energy erupted in the distance. It was golden; the sight of two super powers collided in the heat of battle and she had seen it too many times before.

"Do not fret, Bulma… Vegeta will not lose the battle," Dende said, approaching the blue-haired woman from the back. She was teetering at the edge of the lookout; staring out at a battle that could not be seen.

"How could you possibly know that, Dende?" Bulma asked, tears starting to well up in her eyes. First, her baby… her pride and joy had been stolen; now, Vegeta was in locked in a battle that he could very well lose.

"Vegeta is… different," Dende answered, almost scared to give her the entire answer. What he had heard was truly devastating and if Vegeta had truly reverted back… then the entire planet could be in danger.

Bulma turned around to the young Namekian; his features filled with so many different emotions. "Different?" Bulma asked, wanting to know how her husband had changed… and wanting to know how Dende had the answer.

"Vegeta is the strongest warrior in the universe. He always has been and always will be," Dende explained, knowing that the rest of the explanation would have to come.

"Then… why does…- Bulma couldn't even finish; she almost collapsed even trying to get the sentence out. She could always feel Vegeta's pain and she knew of his anguish; the loathing and embarrassment he always suffered as a result of being second best.

"Vegeta can't attain full power because he's lost his true will," Dende said with a sigh. He decided that he needed to get on with it before Bulma found out first-hand. "Goku's will to fight is derived from his need to protect the ones he loves. "Vegeta's will to fight… was the true Saiyan heritage; the need to destroy, conquer, and perform those tasks as ruthlessly as he pleases," Dende said. He kept deviating from the point of the story; the point that Vegeta had reverted.

"I see, but what does that have to do with this?" Bulma asked, almost too naively. She almost knew what Dende was getting at, but she needed to hear it… from something else besides her mind.

"Garrick told Vegeta about Alexia and seeing as how Vegeta had already had his suspicions, that's all he needed to hear," Dende said, his head hanging low. He caught a glimpse of Bulma staring out into the sky. She was embarrassed; shameful. "Vegeta doesn't care about anything anymore. The beast inside of him has been reawakened and with it his dormant power. Let's only hope that after this is over… we can talk some sense back into your husband."


	17. Death to All and to All A Good Night

It's been so long since I've updated! The christmas holiday being the main reason, but oh well.. this chapter is smokin'. Get ready folks... it's a roller coaster ride!

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Vegeta and Garrick collided once more; their power seemingly even as they locked hands with each other. Vegeta knew that Garrick was stronger than him, but he didn't care. If he had to… he'd take the whole planet down with him. "You're not as strong as I imagined," Vegeta remarked, with a smirk.

Garrick grimaced at Vegeta's mockery; the conceded Saiyan would fall soon enough. "Deny it all you want, Vegeta; you won't win," Garrick spat out, shoving his knee into Vegeta's stomach.

Vegeta reeled back from the attack, but quickly overcame the slight pain. He flipped up and over Garrick; driving his knees into his opponent's skull once completing the rotation.

Garrick didn't have much time to assess the situation as Vegeta was already upon him, pummeling him with blows. Garrick felt each one as if sledgehammers were crashing down upon his body; Vegeta was definitely powerful. Garrick quickly brought his mind back to the fight and found his opening; he caught Vegeta's last strike and returned the favor.

Vegeta felt the strike miss by a centimeter, but couldn't retaliate quickly enough. Garrick followed up with a roundhouse kick; striking him in the chin and sending him spiraling to the ground.

Garrick watched as Vegeta hit the ground; smoke and rubble mushrooming up around him. Garrick smiled, but was taken aback as golden energy erupted from the smoke. "Stupid ape," Garrick remarked.

Vegeta launched up at Garrick with lightning fast speed; driving a fist into his stomach. Garrick launched back, but Vegeta was already behind him with his elbow extended. The second strike sent Garrick towards the ground, but once again… Vegeta beat him to his destination.

Garrick saw Vegeta, but swore to himself he wouldn't lose. Garrick disappeared and quickly reappeared at Vegeta's side. "No more games," Garrick remarked and shoved an energy ball into Vegeta's temple. It quickly combusted; the explosion sending Vegeta rocketing through the city.

Vegeta slowed himself to a stop, irate at letting himself become susceptible to such a pathetic attack. The bastard was too sloppy; he'd find his demise soon enough. Vegeta quickly launched up into the air and came to a stop; his right arm extended outward. "I'm through with this petty game of tag," Vegeta yelled out to Garrick, beginning to form a ball of energy in front of his extended hand.

Garrick watched Vegeta and immediately noticed the stance; Vegeta was going to use the Big Bang attack. "So you really don't have any regard for your family?" Garrick asked, hoping that Vegeta was bluffing. The attack would devastate the entire continent if Vegeta applied his full power to it.

Vegeta smirked at the comment and filled his palm with more ki; the energy ball becoming as large as a beach ball. "My guess is that you need them more than I do," Vegeta said smugly, applying even more energy to the attack. Vegeta then aimed the attack towards the lookout, hoping to draw out a false move from Garrick.

Garrick's eyes went wide as his realization came to fruition. He really didn't care and if he destroyed the lookout… so many valuable fighters would die. He needed them all if he was to begin conquering the rest of the galaxy. Garrick quickly launched off towards the lookout that he could barely see in the distance. He had to get there; he had to save his minions that were soon to be.

Vegeta smirked as Garrick launched off towards the lookout; there'd be no way he would make it in time. Vegeta shoved a bit more energy into the sphere, "Big Bang Attack!" He then launched the attack and watched as it soared off in the direction of the lookout.

Garrick watched as the giant ball of energy soared past him and made its way to the lookout. There was no way he was going to catch it; all his fighters would fall by their "savior's" hand. "Damn you, Vegeta!" Garrick yelled as he watched the sphere hurdle towards his army's doom.

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Laurel watched as the attack closed in on everyone. What was Vegeta doing? Did he have a plan… or did he really not care anymore? Laurel glanced around at everyone else as they stared helplessly at the attack. There was no way any of them would escape in time. It would take too long to gather the ones that couldn't fly.

"What is Vegeta doing!?" Bulma yelled, running over to the edge of the lookout. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes as a ball of energy rushed up to greet them. Did he truly not care anymore? He was Bulma's husband, they loved each other; how could he not care about her?

Laurel closed her eyes as Bulma sank to the ground in tears; it was all over. Everyone would die and it would be Vegeta's fault. No one was strong enough to volley the attack and now it was only seconds away from destroying the lookout. Her life was going to end and the only person she had ever loved was Goten; so many regrets.

"Good bye, everyone," Trunks cried out, falling beside his mother. He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly. His father was a monster; through and through. Trunks' only regret was that he didn't notice it sooner.

Laurel saw Trunks and heard his last words to the world. His life would end and so would hers. The only time they'd ever spend together would be in the afterlife; so pitiful. "No…" Laurel mumbled, not even aware that she had even said it. The only thing she knew was that there was something inside of her. Something was trying hard to break its way to the surface; to free itself of her soul.

Trunks glanced back at Laurel. He glanced back to give her a farewell; his only wish being that it wasn't going to end so soon. He wished he could just grab her and fly off, but he couldn't leave the others; the situation was so fucking hopeless. Though, when Trunks' glanced back, his eyes lit up with wonder. Blue energy was erupting from Laurel; waves of it crashing down upon the surface of the lookout. Then, too quick for lazy eyes to see, Laurel launched into the air and down at Vegeta's attack.

Laurel couldn't stop herself; her rage… her power had warped her mind. She could her family die; she couldn't let Trunks just… die. Laurel, everything of her person pulsing with blue light, crashed into the giant energy ball in front of her. The ball slowed and finally came to a stop, before being launched off in the opposite direction.

Trunks watched from the lookout as the innocent girl who had once been… diverted one of the strongest attacks in history. The giant mass of energy continued in motion, but not towards the lookout. "How… was that possible?" Trunks asked, but to only himself as his mother looked on in unresponsive awe.

Laurel ducked under the death sphere; her energy pulsing like nothing else. She had to push it away from her Earth; away from the death of everyone… and Trunks. Her body quickly did as she commanded; the energy pulsing from her being rippling into the energy ball. Finally, Laurel's energy peaked as she thrust the ball into the sky. She then watched, through dimming eyes, as it reached the edge of the atmosphere. She did it, but was too weak to even smile. Then, after so much energy had been pulsing through her, it all disappeared in the blink of an eye.

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Vegeta watched with a sour frown as his Big Bang attack exploded in the depths of space; an explosion spanning at least two planets wide. That stupid, insolent girl ruined his plans, but no matter… she was done for. Vegeta smirked as Laurel fell from the sky; her small peak of power ridding her of her strength.

Garrick watched as Laurel fell to the ground below. He was close to the action… he had felt her power. It only last about thirty seconds, but it at least doubled Vegeta's power; how could that have been possible?

"Well then, theatrics aside… I say it's time to finish this," Vegeta yelled out to Garrick. This was truly starting to bore him; Garrick's disregard for battle and formality were truly disgusting.

Garrick glared down at Vegeta, his anger beginning to boil over. The stupid Saiyan and his stupid friends were getting to risky; he had to kill them all. "Have it your way Vegeta!" Garrick yelled out and launched at Vegeta. He reached him in a millisecond and swung even faster. Though, the strike passed right through Vegeta; distorting the image.

Vegeta smirked as he came up from under Garrick and drove his fist into his unprotected stomach. The perfect strike sent Garrick soaring through the air at a sick rate of speed. Vegeta quickly followed him; his speed easily outmatching that of his strike.

Garrick felt the pain rumbling in his stomach and it was almost too much to bear. How could a simple punch from the likes of Vegeta do so much damage? Garrick finally pulled himself to a stop… just meters from the lookout. If he hadn't of gotten his act together he could've gone right through the structure.

Vegeta was on the unsuspecting bastard in a second's time; his fists destroying every part of Garrick's hideous face. Vegeta then flipped over Garrick and stiff kicked him into the air.

"What is your problem, mister!?" Bulma yelled out, smacking Vegeta in the back of the head. His little pummel had led them right next to the lookout.

Vegeta glanced over; his anger boiling over as that infernal woman dared to interrupt his face. Though, when he saw her face, his anger ridden frown twitched. Tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't have been crying out of horror; was it angst, sadness?

"Why are you doing this? Don't you love us?" Bulma asked, tears causing her to choke on her words. She had no idea what Vegeta was thinking and she never did. He wasn't the man she thought he was.

Vegeta grimaced as he glanced back and forth between his brat and that annoying woman. Why did they get to him? Why did he care? Vegeta shook it off and floated into the air; making sure to clear the lookout. Now, he understood why Kakarot was so powerful. The bastard fought for love and it pushed him to limits that couldn't be reached by anyone else.

Garrick finally stopped himself as he swore he almost hit the ozone layer. That stupid Saiyan prick would pay and he would do it with everyone's life. "Die, Vegeta!" Garrick said with a primal roar, black energy erupting all around his body.

"Likewise to you, punk!" Vegeta said and threw his hands out to his sides. Energy then erupted from his being; golden light spewing forth into the darkening sky. This would put an end to the all the masquerades.

Trunks shot forward and beckoned to his father. "Don't do it! You'll kill Goku!" Trunks yelled out, already knowing his father's intentions. If he really had reverted back to his primal state then this was his life's achievement.


	18. To Overpower My Ambition

Wow... it's been a long time. I hope this one is as good as the others, but hey... if not... oh well. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy it... remember to review!

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Vegeta felt enormous power surging through his being; power that had once been locked away below the surface. Now, that power flooded his veins and erupted into the sky around him.

Garrick watched from the sky as waves of gold energy blanketed the area around Vegeta. The bastard had gotten so powerful, but how? Goku was supposed to be the strongest in the universe… not that sniveling little piece of garbage. "Give it your best shot!" Garrick yelled out, his anger and anxiety spilling forth into words. If Vegeta wanted to end it here… then so be it.

Vegeta felt the spheres of energy in his palms growing larger by the second and the energy within being tripled. He smirked as the energy needed for the attack reached half mass; only another minute or so and the pathetic worm above him would be no more. So what if Kakarot's body would be destroyed in the blast; he didn't matter. In fact, no one on this pathetic planet mattered. Inside, he hated them all.

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Trunks watched from the lookout as his father's aura crackled and erupted around him. The move he was planning to use would destroy Goku… unless he moved. Although, if he dodged it… the fight would be over for everyone. "Everyone, run back to the other side of the lookout," Trunks yelled out, whipping around to face the people behind him. Everyone stared at him with disbelief gleaming in their eyes. "I mean it, run!" Trunks yelled out. Everyone then turned; Dende, Bulma, Chichi, 18, and Mr. Popo… and ran as fast as they could for the opposite side of the platform.

Bulma finally slid to a stop along side the others and watched as golden light continued to erupt from her husbands form in the distance. Why had he abandoned his feelings for her… and why had he been able to do it in an instant? That bastard had been faking it all along. Bulma sank to her knees and let out a primal roar; her life was going to end after it had all shattered.

"Don't lose it now, missy. You're husband has already gone completely mental," 18 said to Bulma and returned his gaze to the erupting distance. Vegeta had definitely become a force to be reckoned with, but she never dreamed that she'd have to reckon with it.

Dende closed his eyes and sighed heavily; everyone was hysterical, Vegeta was on the brink of insanity, and everything was falling apart. He had fallen short of his duties and let down the people of Earth. "Please, all I'm asking for is a miracle," Dende mumbled under his breath.

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Vegeta slammed the bottoms of his palms together and combined the energy spheres. The golden light in front of him illuminated the darkening sky; almost bringing about dawn. "This will be your last breath, cretin!" Vegeta yelled out; all his energy beginning to urge forward.

Garrick watched as everything seemed to boil down to a slow crawl. This was it; he had to take this shot head on and give it straight back. Vegeta had those blasted sensu beans and this was definitely his only opportunity. "I'll welcome it with open arms!" Garrick yelled out and threw his hands out to his sides.

"FINAL FLASH!" Vegeta yelled out as everything internal and external erupted in a blinding flash of light. Then, from the brightness, emerged a giant energy beam. The beam ripped through the air… just daring to punch a hole into another dimension.

Garrick's eyes went wide as the beam of energy lanced up towards him. He had never seen anything more deadly in his entire life. The beam didn't slice; it rather punched through the air with sheer, brute force. Finally, as the light dared to sear Garrick's retinas, he pulsed back to reality. A grim frown corrupted his face, "I will never die!" Garrick, within a second, summoned every ounce of energy he had to the surface.

Vegeta pushed as hard as his body would allow and continued to guide the beam towards its destination. This was his last hope… his last hope for revenge against the bastard. His last hope for revenge against the pathetic piece of trash that had threatened to send him to the gallows. He would never allow it; he would _not_ die.

Garrick pulled his hands to his side and prepared show his opponent just what he was up against. There would be no way that his dream of universal domination would be squandered by a pathetic monkey from Earth. "Ka… me… ha… me… HA!" Garrick launched his hands forward as Vegeta's attack reached him. A black and crimson beam erupted from Garrick's hands and sliced through the golden wave in front of him.

Vegeta's smirk dwindled away as he saw a burst of red and black in the distance. Then, horror began to prick at his heart as the burst of energy traveled _through_ his energy beam. He had no idea something could be so powerful as to carve its way through another energy attack. Regardless of the situation, Vegeta pressed on in hopes of finding a solution; a solution that needed to rise to the surface in a matter of seconds.

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Trunks watched from the lookout as Garrick successfully fended off the Final Flash. It was impossible, but lately that's all that was accomplished. Fear unleashed itself from within and threatened to crumple Trunks, but he knew that there had to be a way. Everyone had to survive, or else people would have given everything from nothing. This battle had been hard fought by everyone he knew and everyone had suffered for it. Goten was missing; most likely engulfed by a stray blast. Piccolo was on his last leg and if he died… he wouldn't come back. Krillin was gone, Gohan was gone and Laurel… fucking Laurel. She had put them before herself and saved the entire planet. She was a completely awesome person that didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve to have some tyrant stop by and conquer the planet… she just didn't deserve it. She deserved a good life; a life free of battle and chaos. A life centered on peace, happiness, and caring families. She deserved… everything that Trunks could give her.

"Laurel…" Trunks said with a sigh and let his head fall. There was no denying it now… his feelings for her were running rampant through his mind. She meant a lot to him and there was no way he'd let some Goku rip-off take her away from him. "I won't let you!" Trunks yelled out, no longer able to contain his rage. Golden light spilled forth from his body and enveloped a small portion of the lookout. His golden hair reached out for the sky and completed his look.

Bulma watched as Trunks launched up towards the battle in the sky; now, everyone one she loved was in battle. Vegeta was going to die, Trunks was going to die, and then Garrick was going to make everyone else his slaves. "Trunks, it's hopeless," Bulma said to Trunks, but he didn't hear her. He was gone; his good nature getting the best of him. Having to save the planet was something she wished her family didn't have to deal with.

Trunks rushed up to meet Garrick head on, but reared back as his head collided against an invisible barrier. Trunks sneered and began to move forward, but a wave of energy crashed down upon him. The force of the energy propelled him back. The energy beams; they were actually that strong. The auras they were producing were even deadly. Such a power would eliminate the entire solar system… it was incredible.

Vegeta's muscles strained to contain the intruding energy beam, but it slowly made its way to him. That's when he saw Trunks wavering in the distance; what a buffoon. "Stay out of this, boy!" Vegeta yelled, feeling Garrick's energy beam slip closer as he spoke.

Trunks glanced over at his father and curled his hands into fists. "You need my help!" Trunks yelled out as another wave of energy crashed into him. Who was he kidding; he couldn't even make it past the energy in the air _to_ help. Trunks prepared to push forward, but was knocked back again. It was useless; it was his father's battle to fight and his father's alone.

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Laurel's body quaked with pain as she lay helpless on the ground below the battle. Well, it might have been her body, but all signs pointed towards the stalemate above. It was almost beautiful; blurry… yet beautiful. The sky was now completely dark and the energies danced beautifully amongst the stars. It shouldn't have been beautiful; it should've been the edge-of-your-seat battle that had her emotions at critical mass. Though, all it was to her… was beautiful. She didn't really have emotions anymore; she didn't have a body anymore. Nothing physical or mental really took place except for a few thoughts here and their. Well, her eyes seemed to work as they were obviously flooded with images of the beauty above. She could see her mom, her dad, all the wondrous times that they had shared. So many memories… _beautiful_… so many things she wanted to say… _so much beauty_… so many people she wanted to hold one last time… _so beautiful_… and just one person that hadn't been told the truth… _Trunks_.

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I Hope it was fun... and intense. Well, the saga shall be coming to a close pretty soon and who knows... there might be another one. Or maybe no one will survive...


	19. Tragedy Never Truly Ends

Ah... finally, the chapter is up and i do think it is a good one. Hope u enjoy... read and review.

Vegeta watched as the deathly black beam of energy sliced through the inside of his Final Flash; plotting a course to the black of his own heart. Is it really black, though? Vegeta pondered the question as the seconds seemed to stretch into hours. He was trying so hard to hate everything about his surroundings; he was trying so hard to dig the evil out of him. It wasn't working, though. It seemed as if the evil had disappeared a long time ago and was now replaced with feelings; feelings for his family and for the planet he lived on. Not feelings of hate, or loathing, but feelings of love… and protection.

"So goodbye, Prince!" Garrick laughed as he surged the last remaining bits of his energy into the Kamehameha. This was going to be the culmination of his life's work; the stronger warrior in the universe, defeated by his own hands.

Vegeta heard Garrick rambling on at the other end of the struggle. The beam was just seconds away and it was over; Garrick knew he had it won. He couldn't win, though. Not with his family at stake, not with his _pride_ at stake! It finally clicked; Vegeta wasn't a ruthless killer… he was a family man with all the pride in the world. "The game is over; you will not defeat the Prince of the Saiyans!" Vegeta cried out and pushed with power he never knew he had. New energy pulsed through him and rippled through his Final flash giving it a new found power.

Garrick suddenly lost his smile and along with it his sense of accomplishment. His energy beam had suddenly been swallowed by a giant mass of golden energy and was now heading straight for him. How could this have happened? What was even going on? In the space of a few seconds the battle that he had in the palm of his hands was now slipping through his grasp. "Damn you, Vegeta!" Garrick yelled out as the giant beam of energy engulfed him. Sensations then seared their way into his body and began to rip him apart. Then finally, after an eternity, everything went black and sealed his fate.

Vegeta finally released the beam of energy and watched as it traveled out into the dark of space. Then the darkness settled back in as the beam disappeared and his aura faded. All the power had been flooded from his body, but he was still alive… and so was his family.

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Trunks watched as his father fell from the sky and as his energy beam faded into the distance. He smiled, but frowned at the same time. Too many emotions were swirling through him to even pass judgment on the situation.

"He did it! My man did it!" Bulma yelled, streaking past Trunks to the other end of the lookout. Whether or not she died after he woke up wasn't a concern at the moment. She was alive and so was Vegeta!

Trunks watched as his mother ran to Vegeta, but he was… no where near the lookout. Trunks gasped and launched himself towards his father's position in the sky. He'd be pissed to know that he'd died from something that dumb. A smile crept over his face as he raced down to his father. It had to be him; the father he's always loved. He's too much of a man to just blast away his responsibilities.

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Janemba peered out at the endless reaches of space and sighed as movement ceased within his mind. There would be no conquered planet to pillage tonight as Garrick had lost the battle. Although, this did mean that there would be no more Goku as his body was blinked out of existence. "Frieza, the war continues," Janemba spoke aloud, alerting his second in command to the results of the battle.

Frieza kept a steady gaze on the space outside the view port, but smiled inwardly. He wanted to be the one to once again rid the universe of the Saiyans. "I understand, sir. What shall be our next move?" Frieza asked, an idea already in the back of his mind as to what his commander would say.

Janemba heard his question and quickly formulated an answer. He had known for quite sometime as to what he wanted to do, but never knew the right timing. "The alien species we came across; do we still have their location?" Janemba asked.

Frieza knew it and this time wore his smile for all to see. "Yes sir, they're heading towards the planet Tapal, sir. Most likely to seed the planet for another hunt," Frieza answered, unable to retain the glee in his voice.

"We've been able to obtain eight hundred elite soldiers… so far. I want a few of them sent down to translate and a few of them sent down to negotiate with force," Janemba demanded while still managing to retain the smoothness to his voice.

Frieza nodded, agreeing with his master's decision. "I will bring back three of the alien species and we will personally train them in the arts of Ki control. They will be unstoppable," Frieza said, smiling devilishly as events played out in his mind.

Janemba turned to his faithful minion and clenched a fist, "Almost unstoppable, my dear apprentice.

--------Two Months Later---------

Bulma smiled as she glanced out the kitchen window and at the gravity room. Vegeta was still his old self; eccentric, self-indulged, and yet somehow loveable. It was a miracle how he survived the fight a couple of months ago and still demanded on finding the dragon balls. He had become a real hero; saving the world… then wishing it back to the way it was before Garrick. Goku had definitely worn off on Vegeta; only, if he knew that then he'd throw a fit.

"Mom, Alexia's finally asleep," Trunks said with a smile. It had _only_ taken him an hour to get her that way.

Bulma turned towards her most handsome son and smiled, "Thanks a bunch. Don't feel bad, but you'll have another one to do that to here pretty soon."

Trunks laughed and hugged his mother, "Don't remind me." Trunks leaned back and patted her stomach, "Eight more months, right?"

Bulma smiled and nodded, "Eight more and then little Bra will be welcomed into the world."

Trunks snorted and raised an eyebrow, "And you know it's going to be a girl because…?"

Bulma pushed Trunks by the shoulder and turned towards the oven as a scrumptious smell wafted over her, "You can be just like your father sometimes, bucko."

Trunks' smile faded as the words lingered in the air; his father. "I'm surprised he's taking the whole Alexia thing as well as he is," Trunks said lightly, not wanting to jinx anything.

Bulma leaned up for a second and turned towards her son, "Your father is a new man… and I couldn't be anymore proud of him."

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Gohan stood up from his chair and paced back across the room not wanting to linger any longer. His little brother had now been in his coma for two months and fifteen hours; not exactly something to be happy about. Gohan glanced up and saw Trunks heading towards him. He was coming down here quite frequently as the rejuvenation chamber was located in Capsule Corp.

"Hey Gohan, how's it going?" Trunks asked as he passed his longtime friend. It must have been hard for him knowing that his little brother might not make it… and now his father wasn't coming back either.

"Doing fine; just fixing to go back and see how my mom's doing," Gohan replied and stepped towards the door. He felt his arm catch, though, and looked back to see Trunks holding on to him.

"It's going to be fine. He'll come out of it," Trunks said, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Goten was his best friend; they'd been through a lot of hard times together and their bond had only grown stronger.

Gohan looked away from Trunks. He knew his brother was going to come out of it, but he wasn't so sure he'd be happy when he did. "That's not who I'm worried about," Gohan said softly, unsure as to how Trunks would take it. Though, without waiting for a reply, he left the room.

Trunks sighed and looked over towards the twin chamber that sat next to Goten's. Laurel looked peaceful, but despite that… she was probably battling for her life. Her coma was predicted to last longer than Goten's. It'd most likely be years before she came out of it. The tears that had been welling up finally broke free from his sullen eyes. There was no denying it and he felt horrible for it, but he loved her. He didn't want to hurt Goten, but he didn't want to be without her any longer. He needed her… and now neither of them would get to have her.

Trunks slowly walked over to the chamber Laurel was in and placed his hand upon it. "I love you," Trunks whispered as he placed his forehead against it. He ached inside…. Ached as he awaited the day that her hand would reach up to the glass and meet his.


End file.
